Thank you very much for ruining my life!
by Eatmykimchi
Summary: The Avari settle in Greenwood in great number with their secrets. The dark elves have few in common with the wood elves and the cultural shock is violent for both tribe of elves. Caught between an avari elleth no one seems to be able to control, his own father, the twins, a princess, and others, Legolas struggles to keep his head cool and make life changing decisions. AFTER LOTR.
1. Chapter 1: There she comes

**Chapter one: There she comes**

Legolas actively looking outside through one of the palace's windows. It was that time of the year again. **She **would arrive any second now. He would great her with a warm smile, lead her to apartments, present her to his people again and pretend they were already a happily married couple. Married? They were not _-yet_. Happy? They were very much so. They weren't born that their parents had arranged for them to be **happy** together. Each year, at the beginning of autumn she came to the Green Woods to spend a few months with him. Eventually, they began to develop feelings for each other.

Yes. She made him very happy. She made him laugh like no else could; her sense of humour was refined and uncommon. She also took great care of him; she did whatever was needed – in the measure of the possible and the reasonable- to insure his well being. And she was beautiful too, with her thin lips, slender figure and long shiny blond hair. However, what he like most about her was the way she made him feel. He felt relaxed with her. Like on a little cloud up in the sky where no one could touch them and from which he could protect her. Contrary to every one else, **she** made him feel like a grown elf, not like an elfling.

Every one else saw him like a child. First of all, was his father. He wouldn't let him in the council even thought he was the prince, had proven himself very capable by joining the fellowship and had been an an adult for a more than 2000 years old. What more did he expect from him?

Then, every single elf around him cocooned him. Most did it because Thranduil ordered them too (he loved his darling son above anything else after all) but the rest, they did it so because as their prince, he was precious, and therefore to be treated like newborn: like he could break at any moment. In short he was prince that no one would let exercise his function. It was like being given beautiful red apple and being forbidden to eat it. What was the point of all that?

Still looking through the window, he felt something creep inside of him. It was not a pleasant feeling. He'd just remembered what the king told him. "She will have a rather _special _escort bringing her here this year.". The he had emphasized the word 'special'. It had bothered him from the moment he had heard it. '_Special'. 'Special'. '__**Special'**__. 'A __**rather special**__ escort_'.

True, since Sauron's fall the forest had become infested by orcs. Some were spotted at the border a year ago, others in the forest a few months ago, and three weeks before today, scouts had found and killed orcs deep in the forest. Still, her father would NEVER send her here with a troop of blood thirsty assassins. Then again, his father would never sound so stressed about an escort if it was a normal one.

Legolas frowned. Once again he was kept in the dark by the council and his father about **obviously** important things to come. He knew it: trouble was coming to his very door.

THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo!

_'The horn. She has arrived'._

Legolas ran as fast as he could down the stairs, out of the palace, from the inner court to the outer court to finally reach the gates. He wanted to be the very first person his betrothed would see.

On his way down he passed Galdor, his father closest friend, and Ólion, his closest friend. The older elf couldn't help but laugh at the impatience brought by youth while still holding Ólion's ear firmly. The younger elf surely skipped another one of his patrols to flirt with some random elleth again.

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The gates opened. A surprisingly large group of riders hiding their identity under hoods came in. The very few of them who weren't hiding their face were wearing hardened a expression on their face over their unusual dark skin. The gates closed.

The heavily armed elf riding up front screamed something short and melodious on a harsh tone, as if to giving an order. In a perfect synchrony, all the others got down their horses and hurried themselves to the arrangement of a camp. They acted as thought each one had been appointed to a specific task despite the fact that the heavily armed man only spoke a few words. A small group unloaded the horses, another passed the bags to a third who brought them where the camp was to be made and a last one mounted tents. The rest took care of the horses once unburdened. They worked like ants. They were so efficient that what Legolas would have had done by his unit in 3 hours was covered in one.

Since he'd been standing right in front of the gates when they entered, the prince was caught in the middle of this very 'special' escort. He was confused as to why those hostile looking people were here. For a second, he thought they were men, for he'd never heard of dark skinned elves before. Then he noticed all their ears were pointed.

_'Their hair is dark short and curly._' Most of them took off their cloaks to reveal they wore no shirt under it, and walked around shamelessly showing their well built bodies and scars. _'Their dressing code is strange. Even their height and body shapes are different from ours. They're a lot wider, and many are as tall as Galdor'_. The blond elf rotated his body a bit more to look around him. As he scanned them closely he noticed something else. _'Even their elleth look different. Their faces are less gracious and their traits are... somehow masculine. But their bodies... my god! Did they all recently gave birth to have hips that wide and thighs that strong?! I bet demography is not something they have to worry about! Who on Arda are those people?!'_

So lost he was in his observation that he did not see a fair skinned elleth approach him from the height of her beast until it blocked his view of the traffic.

"_ My lord, I understand your astonishment, but you should keep your mouth closed. Else you might end up swallowing a fly."

At the sound of the soft mocking voice, Legolas smiled and began to raise his head up to meet her eyes.

"_ I believe, my lady, that the flies are too busy flying around your hor-"

When he saw her, his mouth opened in surprise for the second time today. Her gown was brown of dirt and her hair: a mess. His bewildered expression turned into a worried one.

"_ My Lady, are you all right? Were you attacked on your way here?"

"_ 'Attacked' is a big word, my Lord. A tiny bit mistreated would be more accurate. But worry not for I am not hurt."

"_ Mistreated? Please, explain!" He extended his hand and grabbed her waist to help her down her horse. When she was on both her feet, he took her hands in his in a compassionate gesture while she spoke:

"_ Only a little bit. I do not believe it was intended as their culture and habits are very different from ours. And it is already forgiven!". She smiled at him.

"_ In what culture is mistreating a Lady 'a little bit' an honourable action? For you to be in such a state..." He looked at her from head to toe. "something must have happened."

"_ Well, it seems that in our Avari friends' culture what-"

"_ Avari?" His face went blank. He knew about them. He was taught all that was known about them when he was a child, including that they disappeared thousands of years ago and were never seen again. How could there be so many standing in front of him right now?

"_ You didn't know?" asked Nellil, tearing the prince out of his thoughts.

"_ No, I did not know." he dropped her hands and furrowed his brows. "As I told you the precedent years, my father puts a lot of effort into keeping me ignorant of any important matter about the realm and its visitors." He paused the time to take a quick breath, hide his disappointment, and started again "I do not understand. Why would your father put you into their care?"

"_ They seem hostile but they aren't bad people, you know." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Father told me they were elves worthy of their words and accepted missions in exchange of favours. So I suppose they agreed to accompany me here in exchange of something else."

It wasn't much, but her father had told her more about the Avari than his ever did. Including that they were a very much alive race of elf...

_'Why? Why doesn't he trust me more?'_ He sighed. He would have to talk to him later; nothing could be done about the matter at the moment.

" _You still haven't told me what happened to your dress, Lady Nellil."

When she heard the indirect question she frowned a little bit. It seemed that he would not be dropping the subject until she spoke about the incident.

She had hoped he would forget about the subject. The Avari had just resurfaced out of nowhere! Blaming one of them for such a futile issue would only dig the distance between the two tribes of elves.

"_ The Avari maid who was tasked to care for me was...a little brusque." Legolas's frown deepened. "She seemed really young, my Lord, I do not think she had any experience of the sort before. Do not blame her.". She pleaded.

He did not seem satisfied by this explanation.

"_ What exactly did she do?"

After she explained in detail her misadventures with the brusque maid, the prince had one of his maids accompany the fair lady to her apartments. Now reassured, after having been told the whole story, but outraged by the maid's actions, Legolas decided to ask the Avari troop's Captain to ensure she would be sanctioned for it. All he had to do was gather his guts and dare to approach the elf who screamed in an unknown language at the foreigners arrival.


	2. Chapter 2: The brusque maid

**Chapter two: The brusque maid**

After over hearing a part of the discussion between Nellil and the blond person she was talking too, Sui ran to Mhélir.

"__I can't believe she's complaining about the journey. Those are dangerous times to go around middle earth._" pouted the ridiculously small elleth.

"__Oh cut the crap with me, will you, and go the point?_" The elf knew her very well. There was always something hidden in what she said.

"__My point is that if she weren't ready to be a little shaken up, then she should have stayed home!"_She exclaimed as she gesticulated her hand angrily.

"__You're right. The part where she was 'a little bit shaken up' couldn't have been avoided._"He waited for her to nod. It took him about 2 hundred years but he could now anticipate all her reactions. She nodded , so he continued."_It's not at all like when she asked you for some food, you gave her a dead squirrel and when she asked you for some help to get down her horse you pushed her down the first time and pulled her ankles the time after that..."_

Sui growled in disapproval. He was making fun of her. Again.

"__Yeah...well, a squirrel is meat isn't it? And who the hell asks for help to get off a horse? Seriously, if you can't climb it down then don't freaking get on it in the first place!"_

He sighed.

"__You just can't admit when you are wrong, can you?_"

"__I can when I am. And clearly, right now, I am not._"

On that note, she put her nose high up and turned briskly to leave. She could be so condescending when confronted with her wrongs. She'd always take it personally, get offended and most of the time plan some sort of vendetta. It was no wonder why people didn't want to get on her wrong side seeing as she treated her friends as any lambda person would an enemy. How would she treat someone if she really disliked them?

After walking no more that two steps Sui was grabbed violently by the collar and brought right back to the exact place she attempted to leave.

To her un-welcomed surprise, it was not Mhélir she saw when she turned around to see her assailant. Her dear friend had run away as soon as he had spotted the danger.

"_ **That** , your highness, I believe is the 'maid' you are looking for."said Alkien on an accusing tone. "Now girl,"half screamed the Avari Captain "I hear the Lady Nellil, was somehow 'mistreated' by the person in charge of caring for her during her trip here. Explain yourself THIS INSTANT!".

The prince just stood there, letting a tiny feeling of guilt take over him as the small elleth's dark skin whitened with fear. By finding the captain and asking to have a talk with the maid, he'd only just hopped to have her scared a little, not get her into trouble and even less to frighten her so.

"_Your highness," she bowed before gathering herself all together and reorienting herself to face Alkien. "_There must be a misunderstanding, for I believe I only did what was asked from me._" was her bold answer.

"_So you deny bringing Lady Nellil a dead squirrel when she asked you to fetch her some water and and bring her some food?" He raised his left eyebrow at the same time he spoke. He always raised his left eyebrow when something was getting on his nerve.

"_No. I am simply saying that a squirrel _is_ food, Sir." she declared as if it was the most normal thing that could be answered.

_'Fuck! I'm gonna get my ass kicked again. Stupid princess with her stupidly stupid numerous stupid requests!'_

Legolas' mouth opened in shock. She had bigger balls than anyone he knew. That man was a giant moulded by years of expertise in killing and made of, clearly, close to twice her weight in muscles. Yet, she persisted on unnerving him. Undoubtedly, that was the most unwise choice possible: nothing good would come out of acting like that- and whatever would happen would be his fault in part. He really should have confronted her alone instead of asking her Avari Captain to regain the little honour his lady lost because of the girl's actions. However, as much as he felt guilty, he couldn't help thinking that she deserved whatever was coming for her attitude. She needed to be taught a lesson. And a good one. Didn't she have parents to teach her respect?

The second the words left her mouth, Alkien tightened his grip on her.

Who did she think she was? She was a simple trainee in his unit because out of pity -and a bit out of affection too, although he would never admit it- he'd allowed her to join it. No one else would train her. She was too reckless, insolent and above anything else, way too disobedient. And now there she was, standing, defying his authority **once more**, after he'd done her such a favour. And on top of all, doing so in front of the -speechless- Prince of Eryn Lasgalen. It was more than lacking respect to him. It was too much. She would **not** get away with it.

"_You should train on sharpening the poor skills you have with blades instead of wasting your energy on using your tongue unwisely." His tone was colder than his stare- if that was even possible. "You'll be punished for that. You will-"

"__But it's true_, a squirrel **is** food! _And what did you expect?! _I'm no maid! I'm a warrior! _There was no way I could have done a good job even if I wanted to -and you know I __**tried**__ to__**!" **_she moved her hands to emphasize on how obvious what she was saying was. "_But she had too many ridiculous requests_. Perhaps if she weren't so sugar-coated" she began, giving a quick look at the prince, "she would know how to take care of herself !"

Half of it, the prince didn't understand since she spoke in her mother tongue and it was the first time he'd ever heard the Avari language (hell, a few minutes ago, he didn't even know Avari weren't an extinct tribe.) However the last part he understood very well. He could feel through the tone she had used that it was directed to him. '_The bitch!'_ She was blaming him, **the prince, **onthatdistastefultone** and** insulting his future wife. He would punch her right there, at this very moment, was he sure that for doing so he wouldn't be instantly beaten up by the other Avari around.

Alkien turned red. The fire he was about to give birth to would do more damage that all the fire that ever burned in the land of Mordor. How many time would she have to be told, and disciplined before she understood the concept of shutting her mouth and accepting her responsibilities instead of spitting more absurdities?!

The girl too, as much as she tried to hide it, was angry. Not quite as mad as the giant or the prince but revolted by the idea of being reproached her actions. Obviously, she felt Alkien was being unfair with her. After all, **he ** appointed her to that task, knowing **very well** she wasn't the type to watch her movement in a porcelain shop. Nope. Delicate, that, she wasn't, had never been nor would ever be.

As the Captain opened his mouth to kill Sui with words, Legolas beat him to it. Him too desired for no more than to get revenge on the girl for all her unjustified barking. And given that he couldn't give her the smack she deserved now, he would bite her as hard as he could with what he had planned. She was prideful. Way too much to his taste. He would beat that pride to the ground and piss on it.

"_Captain!"

Alkien moved his face to look at the smaller man. He wasn't in the mood to listen to anyone any more so the prince too had better pick his words carefully.

"_If you allow me, I would like to chose the punishment she'll endure for her misconduct."

"_HEY! 'my lord'"she interrupted aggressively. How much worse did she plan on aggravating her case? "I am _**Avari**_. Apart from **my **king and **his** family, the people I answer to are **PROUVED** warriors, not Mirkwood's blond princes I **NEVER **heard about."

They both chose to ignore her. At this point, if they didn't, they'd leave her body cold on the floor.

"_Forgive me my Prince, but I do not believe you would know how to deal with such a-" he paused not sure what to call the elleth. "hysteric _fougocokohergara. _I apologize for all the commotion she cause and promise that she will pay accordingly for it._" _

_'Did he just called me a fucker in Orchish?!'_

_'Did he just called her a fucker in Orchish?!'_

"_You have no need to apologize, I do not hold you responsible for her outburst. However, I believe that she would resent her sanction a lot more if some 'Mirkwood prince', who she does not recognize as a warrior, was to come up with it and to see it executed.

Alkien smirked. The prince was cunning under his candid appearance. He had only been around the beast a few minutes but he already knew how to grab its horns to bring it back to the road. Or so he thought. As much as Alkien wanted to deny him his request, he knew very well that if he did, he would be lacking respect to the prince as well as hurting his pride.

_'So be it. This will be both their punishment' _he thought. Hers, for loosing control over herself one too many times, would be to be ordered around by (who she thought was) a non warrior -a great shame for an Avari. His, for being too sure of himself and not listening to the wiser elf, would simply be to endure her company. She will be despicable with him. The Captain was certain of it.

"_She is all yours my prince. Please, make sure it lasts at least a week. I will have her wait for you here at the first light tomorrow."

On that note, the prince thanked the giant and excused himself to the palace.


	3. Chapter 3: Still Powerless

_Yrsh = _sindarin for orcs

"_Avari tongue_"

"sindarin"

'_thoughts'_

Let me know if something isn't clear!

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**Chapter 3: Still powerless **

The night was calm. The Avari had been long done building they camp and now sat, tired, in small groups around flamboyant dancing flames. They talked with low voices as if to not disturb the trees and alert the wind. On the left, the discussion resolved around how wild and rare this realm was and on the right, multiple things were being criticized. The mixing of all the conversations resulted in nothing else but a confusing brouhaha. However so musical and rhythmic was the Avari tongue that to the curious wood elves hiding around to observe the strange half naked individuals, that it seemed they were murmuring a soft song in round.

Some were still eating. Of course, among those was Geldrik The Colossal, as tremendous as ever in height and width, still covered by tattoos, still eating the horse that had died on the journey. He'd almost finished it by now. The whole horse. All by himself. No one knew what his limit was when it came to eating. The average Avari had 5 meals a day in order to prevent their mass from diminishing; The Colossal had one every 3 hours. In all:8 heavy meals in 24 hours. The dark elf was an ogre!

Those who were neither conversing or eating were sleeping. And not in the elf fashion: in trance with opened eyes, not moving to rest the body, but in the human fashion: eyes shut tight, snoring, dreaming, moving. But they did not need to sleep that way all the time; only now and then; when both flesh and mind were sore. It is an evidence that from the day they disappeared, until now, they had evolved in a stranger manner than the other elves. They had gone somehow wilder, and mortal in the habits.

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Sitting somewhere around one of the small fires, Albien, pushing a curl from the side of his head that wasn't almost shaved back, gave up on reasoning with the brusque 'maid'.

"__Oh, fuck you! You had it coming!_" The light emanating from the fire shone on his strong torso and accentuated his features, making him look angrier than his was. "_You know __**very well**_ _travelling gets him in 'the mood' and still you- ._" He stopped mid sentence as he saw Sui cracking a malicious smile at his statement.

Mhélir face-palmed himself and sighed. Even in trouble she had time to laugh at stupidities like these. She never worried about anything, even when she should.

"__Not that kind of mood_." he added dryly to what Albien had previously said.

Albien did not talk again and still sitting, slowly took his sword in one hand and a knife in the other. Mhélir looked at the other elves sitting with them. Only the two youngest were paying attention to what they had been talking about and seemed to take part for the girl. Sui wasn't completely wrong. If Nellil wasn't non-avari royalty she would have had to catch and cook the her food by herself, like they had too, and did. Also, having their friend work under the order of someone who's fighting abilities had never been heard of was inconceivable. Waaaaaay too harsh of a punishment. Insulting!

Alkien usually forgave her temper quickly because she was only 276 years old. Still a child according to Avari standards. But the captain had been on her back for about 3 months now. He couldn't bring himself to forgive her for running around deep in FellSvosgee, their underground hidden forest, by herself, at night, without telling anyone where she was going, fully conscious that the wood had become very dangerous as of late. He considered her his daughter, and she had scared the hell out of him when she did that. What kind of father wouldn't be angry if their child deliberately put their life in danger like this because 'they had dropped something during the patrol and wanted it back'?

"__So... you won't help me get back to his bright side..._" she murmured, head down, sadness filling her voice.

"__Of course not!_" he raised his head from his blades to look at his sister from other parents. "_Father is so mad he has sharpened his sword until the blade of his knife became almost smooth!_"

_'And the same will happened to your knife, Albien, if you don't relax. Jeez, the apple really doesn't fell far from the tree sometimes!' _she mentally told herself.

"__He is overreacting" _Mhéléane, Mhélir's younger sister, finally shyly stepped into the argument. She was a real brat, but was impressionable when it came to socializing. Talking to the imposing Albien, her Captain's son (on which one they all **thought** she secretly had a crush), was always a challenge for her despite the fact that they had always been part of the same group of friends.

"__She insulted her Captain and 2 members of the wood elves Royalty!_" he jerked back, looking at the shy elfling who now felt challenged.

"__Aye, she can be punished for answering back to your father. That was stupid,_" she gave a quit judging and mocking look at Sui before going on. " _but since WHEN do we owe any respect to non-fighters! Have you seen the elf?! I'm only a trainee but he is __sooo_ _slender_ _that,_ _**I,**_ _just might be able to kick his ass."_

"__Their royalty do NOT gain respect through fighting._" He calmly answered. He was the oldest around. 2721 years old. He had to be more mature than they were. Besides, having another elleth causing a tantrum would intensify his headache. Avari women were too stubborn and hotheaded in his opinion. He sighed and started again. " _Kids, we just came out of nowhere. They have weird customs, that I do not understand either but remember, we __**have to**_ _make it work with them if we want to reach our goal. You all," _he pointed at them all, but stopped on Sui. "_and especially you, focus on that. And remember that we are as weird to them as they are to us.". _

Sui frowned, mumbled something no one could quite catch and spoke up.

"__How could what I could do blow it for everyone ?" _She asked, truthfully not sizing the situation. "_If I am the only one who __**inadvertently**_ _cause any more trouble to happen, I should be the only one paying for it. Why would they blame you all too?"_

She was looking at him with a serious expression, waiting for an explanation. Albien sent a look of distress to Mhélir. He knew that if he was to answer now, despite the fact that it was a well intended question and that she finally accepted what was coming to her, he would scream. He had run out dry of patience for the youngsters to grasp the situation.

"__Sui,_" Mhélir rescued the Captain's son "_like Albien said, the way they govern and their social codes are billions years away from ours. And since we don't know how they will react to what, it's simply wiser __**not to be reckless**_ or_ provoke or insult them in any possible way. In other words, you play it low when they're around ."_

When he finished talking, he looked intensely at both Mhéléane and Sui. As one looked annoyed and the other unconcerned by this speech, he decided to clear one more thing for them: " _And if you don't think yourselves capable of doing so, you can either avoid the wood elves by staying in the camp or..__**go back home**__."_

At that they both opened their eyes wide. He'd convinces them to behave. They did NOT want to go back. The others would make fun of them for being weak and home...well..now on day, for inexperienced trainees like them it had become like a prison. They couldn't get out of the secure perimeter after some hours, when they could go out they couldn't be alone and every two days they had to report that they were still alive to one of the council's members.

Albien too reacted to the mention of **going back home**. Sadness peered in his eyes as he drowned deeper in his memory and put his blades back to his belt.

The rest of the night was spent in silence. None of them had neither the heart or the strength to keep arguing. Instead, they hummed old songs from home together, and shared their 5th meal of the day.

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In the mean time, dinner had ended at the great Elven King's table. He had a selected few of the woodland realm's elite to join his table in order to greet his delicious future daughter in law. It was the same process every year. The council and their family joined, along with a few other high elves. The same people came.

Only the food changed. Oh! The food! Even if the gods had a word to describe it in their language, it would never do justice to how exquisite it tasted. Each bite was like a paradise of dancing flavours emerged out of thin air before melting amorously and being gluttonously swallowed. And the wine! Shining red, and tenderly biting! So easy to drink that one Thranduil's advisor had had 9 glasses before eating, forcing himself to retire early because of drunkenness. It was a treacherous ambrosia. There was no sweetest betrayal.

However, if dinner had been convivial and festive it was because the persons present there were a company as delectable as the refreshments and meal. They all knew each other very well. All were friends. Although both Thranduil and Galdor still thought Ólion too lazy of an elf to be the prince's most trusted friend. The boy was slightly older than Legolas but twice more irresponsible. His mother probably rocked him too close to the wall when he was a baby. As a resulted, all sense of responsibilities was knocked out of him. That night, at the dinner table, the way Galdor and the king reproached things to Ólion was particularly amusing seeing as he struggled to defend his position while agreeing to the king and his Captain's remarks on him.

Also, Galion was drunk. Again. But he had had more wine than anyone else, so fair enough. Plus his drunk anecdotes on Thranduil when he was a prince were always hilarious. Who apart from him knew that the king used to be player with the ladies and went as far as to sometimes pretend to be dying to have their attention?! It was impossible for everyone at the table to conceive that Legolas's mother had agreed to bond with such a frivolous and revolting elf!

Nellil loved to hear about those stories. She liked 'Ada Thrandy', like she called him in his back, very much. He knew about it and didn't mind. The girl was adorable. Almost as adorable as his son, so it was okay. She also called him 'The party king' (but that he didn't know), because he was. Literally. He always threw unbelievably entertaining parties, for no reason, really, other than to party. He even sang, played the harp and danced when he was tipsy or not too moody. He could never get his son to do the same though. "_Legolas quit being such a party pooper, relax, and try to have fun!_" he would tell his son. It amused her how much as soon as it was 'party time' the king would be so delightful and the prince so boring. But it was cute how Legolas would sit somewhere, in a dark corner, try to avoid feminine attention, and blush because he was ashamed by his father's behaviour.

Yes. She **loved** the family she was to join. She couldn't wait until she could to stay there for a longer periods than 4 months. Bur her father wouldn't allow it before she is wedded. He feared too much for his daughter's 'dignity'. He had witnessed many of the 'collateral damages' of the party King's affairs when they were both young. And despite the fact that he had seen Legolas very few times he assumed the boy had the same foolish dark side as his father. "_If Legolas has a dark side, then it is hidden better than Gondolin ever was."s_he told him every time he pleaded her to be careful around the Prince.

Now, the once colourful and merry feat was over. Of it, only a few rests were left. On one side of this mess, Legolas sat motionless, as cold as dead, and on the other side, laying back on his throne-like chair, legs crossed, an unreadable emotion put on his face, remained the Great Elven King of Eryn Lasgalen.

With one gracious move of his hand, Thranduil dismissed the servants from the room. They bowed and left in a small trot. When only the two were left in the room, Thranduil spoke:

"_I saw you glare at me all dinner long." He shifted his weight from one side to an other and commanded " Speak, my son, of what troubles you so. Or I fear you might choke on it."

His father's eyes were piercing. Legolas frowned his brows, looked away for a second to find his words and locked eyes with him, copying his freezing gaze.

"_Nellil told me about the Avari. Her Father told her about them." He halted there, waiting for his father to say something.

"_So?" was the king simple come back.

Legolas frowned his brows more deeply. He felt the warmth of anger growing inside of him.

"_'SO?' Ada! She is not involved in her realm's politic, neither is she in ours, but she knew about them! Her father **told** her. And you...You told me nothing! How do you expect me to rule after you if you keep me out of everything concerning the realm?" He paused to catch his breath, closed his eyes to calm himself and went on again on a lower tone "Or is it that you do not trust me?"

The prince voice resonated with disappointment. He felt betrayed.

Thranduil sighed. His son was right to disapprove of being keep out of what was happening. But he was drawing conclusion by only looking at the water's surface. In truth, if the king didn't tell anything to the prince about that case -about the Avari-, he had a reason. And a good one.

"_Legolas, the existence of the Avari was not meant to become public. Not ever. It was supposed to stay secret. But Nellil's Father cut the grass under my shoes when he had them escort her here, and had them show themselves. I only told the council about them yesterday. I didn't tell you anything because did not have the time. I got caught up in arranging for a place to stay for them, and gathering food and drinks and etcetera. I will have them treated as honourable guests."

"_ Since when do you know about them?"

"_ I have known for a year. "

"_ Who else knows?"

"_ For a year, only kings knew. Yesterday, I told the council. By now, I expect everyone, in every realm knows."

"_ How were they discovered?"

"_ They were not discovered, they came to us."

"_ What do they want?"

"_ They say they stayed hidden for too long and desire to renew contact with the world, in a peaceful way. I suspect other motives. But we shall wait and see before taking any action."

"_ How many are there? Where do they live?"

"_ They have been careful not to mention either."

"_Why are they staying here?"

"_ Some of them went to Lotlorien. Others to Rivendell. But since we could use all the help we can get here, to cleanse the forest from the _yrsh_, they will remain with us for now."

"_What do they ask for in return?"

"_ Nothing. Yet. I am meeting their Captain, Lord Alkien to discuss all this tomorrow."

"_ Why am I not in the council yet?" It was worth a shot. Thranduil had been answering very fast without thinking about his answers. He might finally reveal that too.

The King frowned slightly. Was his son truly dumb enough to think this trick would work on him? He kept his mouth shut, looked up in annoyance, stood up majestically then left. Legolas would have to find an answer for himself.

* * *

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* * *

Calmed, but not satisfied the the day he had had, the Silvan prince headed to the royal gardens hoping that a walk in-between well arranged trees and flowers would settle his mood.

_'This was not how things were supposed to go. It was supposed to be a good day. With Nellil. But it was just a succession of problems and disappointments...' _

A soft breeze tickled the golden leaves tonight. They shuddered in pleasure as their touched one another, letting soft moans escape. Legolas stopped in front his mother's statue. The one his father sculpted himself after her death. The monument was so detailed and build with such perfection that it looked as though she was alive. When he was upset, he would come here, to look upon her and hope she would drop the jar full of water she was holding to take him in a tight and comforting embrace like she used to. But she never moved. It broke his heart a little every time.

He dipped his hands in the water contained in the jar and washed his face with it. It was refreshing. It felt good. It would have to do instead of the hug he couldn't have.

"_Would you like to talk about it, Legolas?"

He recognised the soft voice so he answered without turning around.

"_If you are referring to my argument with Ada, no. But thank you, Nellil for the offer. It is most kind and appreciated." He smiled.

They always dropped the titles when they were alone; they were comfortable enough with each other to do so. Also, they felt like it made things more intimate between them, it brought them closer.

Nellil walked up to him and took on his hand as she murmured shyly in his hear "Come! Follow me.". She walked fast, not letting go of his wet hand and brought him to a bench under a weeping willow. She sat on it then motioned for him to join her. Once he was sitting, she had him lay down and put his head on her laps. He happily complied. His maiden was a prude. Having him laying his head and shoulders nonchalantly on her was a very coquettish and unusual gesture from her part.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax for the first time today. She passed her hands tenderly through his hair a first time, enjoying its soft texture. Then she playfully tangled her fingers in it, massaging his crane. They stayed in silence for several minutes before Nellil broke it.

"_ Legolas?" she gently called his name.

"_Hm?" He opened his eyes, but couldn't bring himself to speak just yet.

"_ Will you tell me a story? I missed hearing about your adventures out in the wild."

"_ It depends." He closed his eyes again.

"_On what?" Taken by surprise by the answer, she stopped massaging his head. He growled at that. He was a big baby sometimes.

"_ On how good will the kiss you promised me in your letters be, my Lady!"

He smirked. He knew she would cutely panic at the thought. In fact, it made her cheeks turn strawberry red and her hands and knees shake slightly.

True, she had promised him 'the kiss of his life' in her letter. But she was just teasing. She never expected him to claim it. Not so soon anyway.

She took a deep breath, took his face in both her hands, closed her eyes and the distance between their lips. There, hidden under hanging leaves, she shared her first kiss with the prince, and was told, the most interesting and beautiful story she had ever heard.

* * *

Here is little something to help you understand who is what with who:

Wood elves:

Thranduil= Legolas's father

Galdor = wood elves' army general

Gillion = Thranduil's butler

Olion = Legolas's best friend

Normal elf:

Nellil= Legolas's betrothed (1997 years old)

Avari:

Sui = the 'brusque maid' (276 years old)

Mhélir = Sui's best friend (1943 years old), he's got green eyes

Mhéléane = Mhélir's younger sister, Sui's close friend, she's got green eyes, is taller than Sui but one year younger

Alkien = This troop of Avari's captain

Albien = Alkien's son. (over 2000 years old)


	4. Chapter 4: Doing it won't hurt anyone

**Chapter 4: Doing it won't hurt anyone**

The first lights were out. Alkien was standing behind Sui at the very spot he'd told the prince the girl would wait for him.

"_ _Your prince is late._" He complained. "_I should be heading towards the palace by now._"

Indeed, the King was expecting him. They had plenty to talk about: alliances, organisation, ration, scouting, raids...He didn't have time **this**.

"__He is NOT my prince. But be sure that I'll make him pay if you are late on your date because of him_." She turned around to look at his reaction, a wide smile on her face.

Alkien's mouth curled a bit on both side. She was in good mood, ready to give the Silvan a hard time. Just as he had predicted.

They waited about ten minutes more before Legolas showed up.

"_You are late." Alkien stated. His tone wasn't condescending nor accusing. He was just merely stating the facts. But since he was wearing a formal attire -clean boots, black pants with a grey and dark green robe on top- Legolas felt as if he was being criticised by his father and was slow to answer.

"_ _And he looks terrible_." placed the elleth in between.

He did look terrible. He hadn't slept the night before. He was too busy thinking about his princess.

He hadn't understood what she told the Captain, but it sounded like she was insulting him.

"_I'm deeply sorry my Lord." He would ignore her for now. He didn't want any drama today. "I promise it won't happen again."

"_ No, it won't. I will not wait with her every morning." he warned. "I expect to hear a report about the day." With that Alkien walked away. Only to stop a few meters away and add "Do not let her out of your sight. She would cause some trouble." before leaving her in his care for good.

For a while they just stood there stupidly, looking at each other. Sui with her arms crossed, was pouting. And Legolas trying to hold her gaze and figure out where she found the strength to be angry so early the morning.

"_So...I didn't give much thoughts to what your sanction should be." He scratched the back of head.

"_ Too busy '**taking care' **of the girl?" She raised a brow and smiled sarcastically while, he, dropped his mouth open in shock. If that kept happening his jaw would grow painful soon. He wanted to say something, but his mouth wouldn't let any words come out.

"_No need to be shocked or to hide it. I saw you kiss under a weeping willow last night." It came out on the most natural tone possible.

"_ You spied on us?" That, came out on the most unnatural tone possible

"_Uh-uh, no." She closed her fist, leaving only the index up and moved it from left to right to say no. "I don't have time to waste like that. I just happened to be there. I was taking a walk, to relax."

She didn't say it nicely but it sounded like the truth. The tip of his ears turned red.

"_ I didn't...do anything to her. We just kissed. It was-"

"_Hey, _retarded elf_," she cut him. "I don't care. _Really._ You do whatever you want with the Lady. _Now if you please_, I'd rather execute my sanction than listen to this non-sense."

Legolas covered his face with his hands, thinking deeply. '_Of course, this is non of her business. I better come up with something, quick.'_

"_ Uh..today you will hm... clean the stables. With all those horses, they're dramatically dirty. They could do with some scrubbing."

He looked at her. She looked right back at him. A minute passed.

"_ You realise I arrived yesterday and do not know my way around here." Not seeing where this was going he didn't retort. "I have no _fucking _idea where the stables are. I was in charge of mounting the tents, not caring for the beasts."

"_Oh of course." Where was his head this morning. He hadn't even understood something that simple. "Follow me, it' this way."

* * *

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* * *

Legolas opened the stables door. Quite a few people were inside today. Both Avari and wood elves were feeding the horses, cleaning them, getting them ready to ride. Every one was busy and paid no attention to the pair.

Sui looked around then down to the floor. He didn't exaggerate. The cleaning situation was getting out of hand here. However he lied. It didn't need some scrubbing, it needed magic. No one could clean that much horse shit and dry hay. She looked up again. In the back, three elves were cleaning.

_'Good. At least I've got some help.'_

"_ Alagon, Durthor, Uthespen!" The three elves brought their attention to the prince. "You can leave and take care of other things. The child will take care of the rest."

Alagon, Durthor and Uthespen gathered their belongings, bowed and left.

Sui cursed under her breath and looked at him angrily.

"_ Blondie, you do realise that I can't clean all that by myself in one day?"

"_Good thing that your punishment is meant to last longer than that."

She frowned. He smiled interiorly. Finally he was himself again. He might as well push her little more. "And you do realise that you are to call me 'My Lord' and never again 'man'". He copied her tone.

She bit her tongue and began to walk away to start her chore. She was doing her best not to cause more problems, like she was asked by both Albien and Mhélir yesterday. But it was getting harder and very tempting to put the prince back at his place.

_'That's her reaction? I was expecting better. Perhaps I can push her some more and get away with it.' _thought 'blondie'_._

"_ One other thing. I would like you to clean the elk's stable too. It's in the other room over there." he pointed at the door at the very end of the stables. "And be careful, it tends to bite."

She didn't turn to look at him and instead busied herself with work.

Legolas went to his horse cleaned him, caressed him, and even talked to him a little bit. Alkien had told him to keep an eye on her and he was trying to follow his advice. But she didn't seem like much of problem like this, calmly cleaning the stables, not bothering anyone. Just doing her job. And she was so small. Surely she couldn't cause anything bad. She might engage in a fight with someone but, hey, the wood elves were known to be more dangerous than the others, they could handle themselves if she tried anything funny. And they knew better than to answer to a child's provocation. Yes, he could leave. At least for an hour or two. It wouldn't hurt anyone.

* * *

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* * *

The prince was looking for Ólion. He had to tell him about last night. It was just a kiss. But it was her very first, and their first together, so it was something important!

He went straight to the kitchen. Ólion enjoyed doing very few things. Among the things he enjoyed doing was eating and flirting. Two things he could do at the same time in the Palace's kitchen: flirt with a maid or a cook while eating a pie. However, to his stupefaction, his friend was not in the kitchen. Ólion was always in the kitchen. Why wasn't he in kitchen now? Legolas sighed and entered the room. Perhaps his companion was in the corner he couldn't see from the door's entrance. Nope. Ólion was not there. But Únel was.

"_Únel?!" He couldn't believe his eyes.

The elleth turned around, letting the toast she was holding fall down to the ground when she saw who called her name. The toast fell on the side she had meticulously spread jam on. Damn gravity!

"_Legol- my Lord?!" she quickly corrected herself. She hadn't seen him for many winters, and even thought she was part of the high elves, she shouldn't allow herself to familiarities with royalty, not after such a long time.

"_Why- I mean, when did you came back? I thought you in Lotlorien!"

"_ I came back a week ago. But I was... indisposed so I stayed home."

She looked right into his eyes. It disturbed him. Her gaze shouldn't perturb him like this. Not any more. She was the elleth with who he had his first **experiences** when they both came of age. He had liked her. **A lot.** So much, that the thought of asking his father to annul his betrothal in her favour crossed his mind several times. But she left for Lotlorien a few years before he grew feelings for Nellil, before he dared to say anything to his father. It was for the best: it would probably have been a youth mistake.

He remembered her perfectly. From her intrepid mind and determined manners to take what she wanted when she wanted- no matter the means- to the softness of her small breasts when he'd touched them. But what he liked the most about her was that she shared his passion for archery. She started later than he did but she was a natural with a bow; she didn't have to work hard to improve her skills. But as always she wasn't satisfied with what she had. It wasn't enough. She had to become better than she already was, so she left. First she went to Rivendell to finish her formation as a healer, then she went to Lotlorien to learn how to shoot properly with , the now missed, Haldir. He was one of the best. And someone who's body wouldn't distract her **too much** from her goals.

She was back. And she was still ravishing with her green almonds shaped eyes and long light brown hair tied high up in a bun. No she wasn't like the others, and she liked to show it so she wouldn't let her hair down like they did. He felt lust rise in his chest and a sudden need to crush his lips against hers.

"_ Are you...feeling better now?" Is the best he could bring himself to say under her intense gaze.

"_ I am, thank you. So much in fact that I was thinking about going for a ride and try shooting on moving targets after eating this." She pointed at the toast and looked at it wishing it hadn't fell. "But I believe I can forget about eating it, so I will ready my horse now and leave." She picked up the bread, disposed of it, bowed and made her way through to the door, being careful to put her hand sensually on the prince's shoulder as she passed him on the side.

He turned around to watch her leave.

"_ May I join?" '_What am I doing?This is a terrible idea!'_

"_ Could it be that you are curious about my skills?" She only turned her head to the side to look at him.

"_ Very much so."

"_ Haldir was a great teacher. I might be better than you are, now, my lord." she grinned.

He smirked. Únel was as flirty and provocative as always. He liked the temptation. He liked challenges. Being around her was like constantly being on the verge to inhale under water but holding his breath in to stay down longer than the others. It was painful, but worth it.

"_ I doubt it. I practised a lot while you were away. I am the best in the realm now."

"_ Well, in a few hours, you might not be any more." She winked and went on walking as he followed her.

* * *

Sorry this chapater is little short but It was either cutting it in two or posting a monstruously big one -'

I have all the chapters written up till the 11th one! (and the story not even close to be over yet!) let me know if you want me to post them faster. But if I do at some point you'll have to wait more than just a week to have the not yet written chaps...


	5. Chapter 5: It's an animal, not gold!

**Chapter 5: It's an animal, not gold!**

**Author's note:**

Hey! Just a quick something I thought you should know, english isn't my mother tongue so sorry for misspells and other mistakes and do not hesitate let me know about them so I can change them. Also, if you have any suggestions about the story/characters, things you would like to hear more about message me ;)

* * *

When he went to the stables to ready his beasts, Legolas did not realise Sui was gone. The thought to check if she was still working hadn't even come close to his mind. He regretted it now. He was back and she was no where to be seen. But all the horses where still there and the stables were cleaner. She must have worked for quite a while.

Wait.!

The door at the back! The one leading to the elk's stall: it's open. _'Thanks god. She is in there.'_. Nope. No one there either. Not even the elk.

'_OH NO!NO! The elk is gone. She is not here either. She left with with it. Shit! What if she stole it and plan on eating it or something? SHIT! Ada will KILL me!'_

His heart beats fastened. Thranduil **loved** his elk. His wife gave it to him as a pet after their union. Legolas was a dead elf if he didn't bring it back before his father noticed. But how was he supposed to bring it back? He had no idea where the girl could have taken it...but an elk that big couldn't go around unnoticed, could it? No, it couldn't, so he decided to ask people, calmly, not letting them know that something was wrong, if they had seen it.

First, he looked for Uthespen. The elf loved horses, and even when he wasn't cleaning the stables or healing a beast, he would hang out around its surrounding. But Uthespen saw no elk. So, he asked Durthor. He mounted every day and had a very good sense of observation. Nothing was done around here without him seeing it. But Durthor, saw no elk. However, he did see 'this morning's Avari young boy, the one with shoulder long curly black hair, smuggle food in, for the horses'. Finally, he questioned everyone else around about the animal to no avail. No one had seen it. No keen sighted being had seen a loud Avari leave with a gigantic elk. The situation couldn't get any more ridiculous.

Then he remembered: _'there is another door'_. One that opens from the elk's stalls directly to the forest. One mystery solved: no one saw his father's pet because she got it out by the back door. Another remains: where did she take it?.

_'Fuck. What do I do now?'_ He walked fast, in irregular circles, holding his hair tight in an hysteric manner with both his hand, making disgraceful faces.

"_I see you didn't follow my advice." a voiced said, annoyed. "What did she do?"

It was Alkien. The Captain didn't look surprised. In fact, he wasn't. He was not angry either. He had known from the beginning that something like this would happen today., and certainly every other day, until the punishment week was over.

"_ She took my father's elk! I don't know where she went. No one saw the elk get out!" he kept gesticulating wildly. "I think..I think she got it out by door leading to the forest." He finally stopped all movement to face the giant. His eyes full of despair he pleaded "I am in DEEP TROUBLE if I don't get it back before Ada notices!PLEASE! HELP ME! Help me find her!"

"_ The King owns an elk?" he raised his right eyebrow in curiosity. Legolas nodded. Alkien sighed. "It is a most interesting pet to have." he smiled to himself and with a move of his head pointed to the stables. "Let us go to the creature's stall."

"_Why? She isn't there any more. And with today's strong wind disturbing the forest, we can't trace her."

"_Don't be silly boy! She did not run away with it. She is probably using it as mount to walk around in the woods. She'll bring it back where it belongs. And we will be there, waiting."

* * *

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* * *

Finally, the shape of elk appeared in the horizon. The wood elf and the Avari Captain had been waiting for close to two hours, now. Legolas did not dare to talk during this time; the other elf had a too imposing charisma and he didn't want to pass for more idiot than he was once more today. Alkien had used the time to meditate. He was trying hard to find his inner peace in order to suppress his burning rage. All this was, again, a waste of his precious time and he still had a lot to do. Also, the talk he had with the King had been tiring: the Silvan elf was exhausting only to look at. Thranduil's clothes were shiny, he constantly gesticulated, and kept asking questions, trying to corner him to have more information about his tribe. '_Where exactly do you hail from? How many are you here? How many went to Lorien? Rivendell? Are there many more? How many? Could you remind me why you are you finally got out of the shadows?Why now? Where did you live? And ..when..why..what...where..who..How...?'_

Too much rambling. He would have to get a new knife to sharpen his blade some more to relax and get rid of the echo of this meeting repeating over and over in his head.

"_ _Hey! Alkien_!" she greeted. Sui sat on the elk's back, a wide and satisfied smile on her face. She seemed happy to see her Captain. Once more she was clueless as to what she had done wrong.

"_ _Where have you been?_" His tone was firm but calm.

"_ _Exploring!_" As she exclaimed that, she threw both hands high up in the air. "And that poor thing here," she bent forward to caress the creature's neck "really needed some fresh air!" She changed her voiced to a funny one as she moved her eyes from the Captain to the elk "_uh! you did! Yes, you did, uh!_"

Alkien brought one hand to his head and pressed on his temple as if to suppress a headache. She was in a extremely good mood, for once. But he had to reprimand her. Again.

The giant sighed, relaxed his frown, then crossed his arms. He would try his best to keep his cool and to not be too hard on her in order to avoid another scene.

"_ Did the prince ask you to walk it?"

"_ _No._" Annoyance was slowing crushing her joy as she understood that if Alkien was starting to ask questions, he was trying to make a point. And if he was trying to make a point his armed crossed using a 'forced' calm tone like right now, it meant nothing good. At least not for her. The prince would probably gloat because she was getting scolded.

"_ So you agree that it wasn't part of your punishment?"

"_ _Well, Yes, I guess so_." She stopped to scowl and quickly started again "_But I was never told that I couldn't-_"

"_You get one week more of sanction." He said it as a final statement. There was no debating it.

Both Legolas and Sui screamed at the same time:

"_WHAT?!"

They exchanged a short glance at each other and brought their eyes back on the giant.

She was not pleased. It was unfair. Why was walking an elk resulting in one more week of misery? She deserved an explanation. And it better a be a good one.

The prince was stupefied. He had failed, on the first day on her sanction, at keeping an eye on her, which could have ended up causing a lot of drama if he'd went to his father and told him that one of those untrusted Avari stole his precious elk and disappeared, but yet,, Alkien was trusting him with surveilling her one more week? He didn't want that. He didn't want anything to do with her ever again. Not even for revenge about her misconduct the day before. Sui did more to his stress in 2 days than Únel ever did to his libido! Because of her he almost balded himself out of panic!

Both opened their mouths to protest but where defeated at it.

"_You," he turned his head to the right to look at Sui, still sitting on the elk, "**need** to learn to do what is asked of you, and nothing more, nor less." He turned to look at Legolas. "And you-"

"_ I'm sorry." he politely cut. "I don't think I am fitted to deal with her." _'I'll die of a heart attack if I am under that kind of pressure once more.'_

The prince sounded honest. And the Captain, better than anyone else, understood why he was scared of being under such a responsibility longer. Sui was quick too bite and slow grasps the repercussions of her acts: irresponsible in all aspects.

"_ It is a punishment for you too." clarified the Captain. Hearing this, Legolas opened his eyes wide. Some elf he met for the first time the day before, who belonged to a lower class than his, was giving a sanction to him, the over 2000 years old prince."If you can't control an elfling now, how do you plan on ruling this realm in the future?"

"_ My lord, with all due respect, even if you gave me a century and back ups, I doubt I could ever control that one." he shot her a glare. " If you want to punish me too, can I at least trade her for another one?"

It was a pitiful attempt to escape his fate.

"_ _Alkien, he's got a point. You should give him Mhéléane. Mhélir kee__ps saying she needs to be straightened up." _That, was not helping either.

"_What I said wasn't a suggestion for you two to discuss, it was an order. Now hurry to clean the elk and get back to camp." With that, the Captain left.

Sui got off the animal while Legolas was still looking at Alkien's shape slowly disappearing in the horizon, bewildered by the turn of events.

"_ So... are you going to help me with the elk or what?!" She threw at him mockingly. There was something satisfying about knowing that he too was being punished. It felt like an achievement to her. A good one. One she was responsible for.

"_I'll just look." Legolas turned to look at the elleth. He could see she was enjoying this."I believe I am penalized enough having to deal with you for another week."

"_ Ohhh" she faked disappointment "yesterday, you were asking to take care of me personally and today, you don't like me any more?! You are breaking my heart." She smirked. It was going too be very amusing pissing him off every day. For two long and whole weeks. _'I'm already in this mess so I'll make the best out of it.' _she told herself.

"_ And you are breaking my male gonads, but you don't hear me cry about it." he spat.

_' It couldn't get any worse.'_ he thought.

Or could it?

* * *

male gonads = balls x)


	6. Chapter 6: Keep your hands to yourself!

**Chapter 6: Keep your hands to yourself**

It was over midnight. Legolas was stressed and still couldn't believe he would have to make time in his agenda for the young Avari for 1 additional week. In all 13 days left. He wanted to see Nellil, now. She would know how to soften his mood. But she had ditched her maids after dinner to go for a walk on her own and he, was too tired to seek for her through the realm. So, instead, he made his way to the kitchen. He was hopping to find Ólion, there. Though, he wouldn't mind to find Únel instead, once more. Perhaps she would be catching up on the toast she dropped earlier.

From the corridor, he could hear grave laughters and several voices. When he entered the room, he was glad to see Ólion, Galdor and Gilion joyfully sharing some cake and a few refreshments.

"_ Ah! There's the princeling!" said Gilion, who was the only one facing the kitchen's entrance from which Legolas appeared. Galdor and Ólion turned around to look at him.

"_You! Where have you been all this time?! Your lady comes in town and you disappear? What kind of a friend of you, leaving me to deal alone with those old elves!" exclaimed Ólion.

Galdor smacked the back of the fool's head. And Gilion followed the same gesture.

"_ Hold your tongue, boy!" threatened the Captain.

"_ See? When YOU are at a safe distance from them, they take their rage out on me!"

Legolas smiled. He felt better already.

He walked up to the butler's side and sat next to him. Gilion put his hand at the back of the prince's head in an affectionate manner.

"_ So what have you been up too, child?"

"_ You better have a good excuse for showing up late to your patrol tour." Galdor did not sound happy about that. "And as much as your Lady is beautiful, she is not good enough of an excuse for me."

Legolas frowned. He wanted to avoid telling the truth. They would probably all make fun of him if they knew. In addition, Galdor would scold him some more and probably give him more hours of watch on the wall.

"_ I was...giving a class of archery..to some elflings in the range" he lied.

"_ By Arda!" Ólion said on a disappointed tone, while Gilion chuckled and Galdor put on a serious look on his face. " You are such a bad liar, I pity you. Seriously, you should just stop trying at this point."

The prince growled.

"_ So what is it that you are hiding?" The Captain made it sound more like an order than a question.

He would just have to tell them everything. They would find out eventually.

"_ Hun" he breathed in, "I assume you've heard about the Avari girl to whom I'm supposed to teach 'manners' right?" They nodded. News travelled fast in Eryn Lasgalen. Every one enjoyed gossiping, especially about their darling prince. " Well, long story short, I told her to clean the stables and left to take care of other business. When I came back she was gone. With Ada's elk."

Every one's faces turned white. " Yeah, that's about how panicked I was. You can relax, I got it back. But she arrived after the time I was supposed to start patrolling."

They faces regained their usual colour and they shut their eyes in relief.

"_ Because of your carelessness, we could have all been in DEEP trouble." That said, Galdor signalled for Gilion to give a smack to the prince.

"_ That," complained the prince to the butler, " wasn't necessary. I already got punished for all this."

"_ What do you mean?" The prince had picked Ólion's curiosity.

"_ I was supposed to supervise the pest's sanction for a week, but since I almost provoked the apocalypse and a political issue with the Avari, Alkien, their Captain, is having me 'baby-sit' her for one more week." He put his face in his hands. "Sauron himself couldn't have come up with worse torture than this."

"_Don't over do it!" The lazy elf was disappointed. He'd been expecting something grandiose. " Nellil told me the elleth was just a child. Plus, next time, you'll just have to stay around while she-"

"_ Oh no!" the Silvan threw his head back " She's not JUST a child. She's a...she is hateful, wild, impolite, I suspect violent and I swear she enjoys to see people -or at least me, **suffer**." he made sure to emphasise the last word.

"_ Funny." Gilion jumped into the discussion. " I went to the stalls this morning, and chatted with an Avari girl for a few minutes. She was charming, a vigorous young mind!"

"_ They were several in there, it must have been another one." Legolas truly doubted the other elf was talking about the same person.

"_ The one I conversed with have shoulder long, black, curly hair, eyes just as dark, and wore a pair of brown large pants and a green shirt. It was also too big for her." he paused and suddenly remembered: "Oh and she was barefoot."

Legolas frowned. How could they be talking about the same person. What was there to find charming about her?

"_ How could you find the yrsh* charming?" he waited a few seconds for an answer but changed his mind. "No you know what? I don't want to hear about all this any more. I would like to think about other things than her. Something pleasant for a change."

"_ Things like...Nellil?" Ólion was teasing him. He always did "I heard she ditched her maids yesterday night too." he smirked. "And you weren't in your room when I knocked yesterday night..." he teased.

Gilion's eyes widened. Galdor who had been too busy cutting some salami, jumped in his chair, raised his head to lock his eyes with the prince and threatened:

"_Don't tell me you-"

The prince screamed both in surprise and embarrassment.

"_Aaaaah! I did nothing!" he slammed his hands on the table and stood up. " Why are you all thinking I took advantage of her?!" He sat down again. "She is lovely but-" He stopped himself. Every one was still looking at him suspiciously " Huh, Okay! I kissed her." he admitted. Hearing this, Galdor was about to began a sentence but Legolas spoke again " I SWEAR! I did nothing else! So please, don't look at me like that!" The tip of his ears was pink. He didn't mind sharing this information with Ólion, and weirdly enough nor with Gilion, but talking about it in front of Galdor was simply embarrassing.

"_ So it appears the son doesn't have the father's habits with the ladies " mocked the butler.

"_ And what manners would that be?" Menaced Thranduil, coming in the kitchen, from supply area in the back.

"_Ada! Have you been hiding there all along?"

"_ I was NOT hiding!" the king's voice grounded softly. "I was being discreet!" he completed in all seriousness. "So tell me son," he put a hand on his son's shoulder." all about this matter."

Legolas collapsed the on the table, being careful to hide his face with his arms. The situation just went from embarrassing to humiliating for him.

* * *

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* * *

Mhélir was laying on Sui's mattress, topless, covering the rest of his naked body with her covers when Mhéléane entered it without announcing herself. She stood at the entrance and looked at her brother making a grimace.

"__Gross_." she stated after a few seconds, not moving from where she was.

"__Well if you want to avoid __**this**__, or worse"_ he laid back, making himself comfortable again, " _ask permission to come in __**before**__ coming it._"

She rolled her eyes.

"_ _Weren't you guys done. You know, hooking up together?_"

"_ _We were. Then - we got -bored again_." His speech was fragmented. He was trying to catch his clothes without uncovering himself or standing up.

"_ _Couldn't you refuse her? And get a friend of your own to fuck_." It came out like razor's blade. She didn't approve of this 'friends with benefits' kind of relationship. She loved her brother. She loved her friend. But she hated them together. It was the same song over and over: they would have sex, spend more time together, have private jokes, then argue, swear, fight and go back to being only friends again. It was a pain in the ass to be in the middle of all that. When were they going to realise that they were just friends and didn't function as anything more? One was too possessive and the other one too unconcerned by the 'rues' such a relationship implyed.

"_ _Hey! Watch your tongue!_" he snapped. He was patient with his sister, and didn't mind her being vulgar with others, but not with him. He was her older brother, of a 1862 years old, and an actual warrior while she was only a trainee. "_What are here you for?_"

She pouted.

"__ Let Sui know we start the scouting tomorrow morning, at 8 O'clock, when she comes back._" she said dryly before turning around to leave.

"_ _She can't go._" His sister turned back around, a curious look on her face. "_It's part of her sanction._" He finally caught his trousers. "_Alkien even took her sword and both her knives away, can you believe that? He's being real' rough now_."

Mhéléane clasped her teeth together. If Sui wasn't going to scout, she would have to find herself someone else to pair with on the morrow.

"_ _I'm not surprised. She would probably use them to cut blondie open. Or get revenge on Alkien while he sleeps_."

She walked out leaving Mhélir to get dressed. Alone with his thoughts, he wondered when his sister became so bipolar and aggressive. She used to be a sweet young girl. And she had worked really hard to jump from the Avari general formation to Alkien's unit in order to follow him here. Why was she so impossible all of a sudden?

* * *

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* * *

On the other side of the camp, Sui was hiding behind Alkien's tent. She knew he had seen the King and wanted to hear about everything that was to come. Of course Alkien made a speech summarising it for the whole unit, but he kept the essential to himself. He would only tell his vice-Captain, The Mountain, and Albien, his personal trainee and son, the relevant part of the story. Since he didn't want to tell her too, she dcided to get the information herself, by spying. However, the prince's Lady arrived there before she did, and have been rambling about uninteresting things like some party soon to come and Avari cuisine, postponing all possible interesting exchanges.

"_ Ah! I see! I'll arrange for the cooks to roast them instead then! Thank you for all the details." Nellil's voice was soft, as always. " I would like to add one last thing before I take my leave." She hesitated to keep going.

"_ You still have all my attention, my Lady." Alkien encouraged her to go on .

She nodded and began again.

"_ I am very sorry about... the situation with the Prince ". She put a lovely pout on her face to complain " His father spoils him a little bit too much so he isn't used to be taken back on his decisions and can be very stubborn." She relaxed her face and smiled again "But please, don't believe that these traits define him. He is very capable, I assure you."

"_ Worry not, Princess. The prince showed himself very cooperative so far. Also, if I am exigent with him, it is because I know he can accomplish a lot more than he thinks himself capable of."

Standing a little bit further away, Geldrick and Albien chuckled lightly. Alkien's tone was unnaturally nice. The Avari Captain wasn't used to be shown such tenderness by women. The only two women he was close to were ruthless and dominating: starting by his wife and followed close by Sui. It was a rare sight to see him melt like this so the two other elves were very amused by the situation.

"_ Thank you very much for listening to me, my Lord!" She clasped her hands together, visibly satisfied by the out come of conversation.

"_ Albien!" called the Captain.

"_ Yes Captain" The younger Avari took a step forward.

"_ _Walk Lady Nellil back to the palace, will you_."

As an answer Albien did the Avari military salute: he closed his hands into fists, and brought both of them to hit his torso lightly. Then he opened the tents entrance to let the Princess go through. She went out, and he followed.

* * *

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* * *

The sweet maiden walked in front of the Captain's son. She didn't like it this way. It made her feel ill at ease, like someone was stalking her. She wanted him to walk at her side, to make this less awkward, so she tried slowing her pace down, but he would just do the same or even worse: stop, to put more distance in between them.

On the other side, Albien was starting to wander if the young Lady wasn't slightly...retarded. Why was she walking then stopping, then walking again, then slowing down and kept throwing quick glances back at him? He decided not to care. Perhaps elleths from her tribe where just strange.

_'Rah, she's stopping again.'_he thought when she stopped once again.

"_ Please, will you not walk with me?" She turned back timidly to face him.

Albien was taken aback: _'Is that what it was about all along? Jeez, women!' _He simply nodded as an answer and walked up to her, waiting for her to move again. However she did not. She just looked at him expectantly.

"_ There is a thing I can help you with my lady?" His Sindarin was not all that good, and his accent was thick. He didn't take the time to learn it properly because it was barely spoken by any one in FellSvogee and never thought he would ever have to use it one day.

She blushed and bent her head down.

"_ Is it usual, for Avari elves to walk behind elleths?"

"_ No."

She looked disturbed by the poor answer.

"_ No?" She wanted to know more.

"_ No."

She frowned. She was impressed enough by the elf, he didn't have to make himself mysterious with that.

"_ Then...why were you walking behind then?" she pushed.

"_ I thought you would want to feel alone so I walked at the back."

Guilt rose in her stomach. He had done it to make her feel more comfortable and she had almost labelled him as creep for doing so.

"_ Ah! I see! Thank you. But I would appreciate it better if you would walk along with me." She paused. "It would be less scary this way." She admitted. Albien nodded and motioned for her to start walking again. " May I ask you about the Avari, culture my Lord? I have so many questions and yet, no one can answer them since so little is known about you." she wasn't looking at him and neither did he look at her when he answered.

"_You may. However, please, not use the title, I am not a Lord."

"_ Then what shall I call you?"

"_ Sir."

Nellil was surprised. He wasn't a lord, but asked of a princess that she called him 'sir'. Why didn't he simply tell her his name instead? She titled her head pondering on it.

"_Very well then: 'Sir'? Could you tell me if all Avari are fighters? Mostly every one in your camp have weapons and seems to be well trained for battle."

"_ _Yes_. Every single one Avari are fighters."

"_ ALL the women as well?"

"_ _Yes._" he said in Avari. She guessed the meaning.

"_ Then who takes care of the children?"

"_ They fight too."

"_ WHAT?" She stopped walking and grabbed his arm slightly to stop him.

Because of her reaction, he felt he had to elaborate on that matter.

"_ The parents, until the elfings are strong and mature enough to learn combat, raise them."

She stared at him with big eyes and motioned to him, with a circular move of the hand, to keep going. " We divide them in groups and have a teacher show them basics of different things: fighting, harvesting, languages, hunting, fishing, sewing and other. They are free to specialise in what they like more. But they have to learn combat until their adult age. We live in a dangerous place, every one must know defence."

"_ It sounds really tough!" She exclaimed, glad that she weren't born in this tribe. " What is the adult age for the Avari?"

"_ 300 winters."

"_ EH!" Once again it was something he did not expect to hear. " Our age of maturity is at a 100 years old..."

They kept discussing their cultural differences until they reached the Palace. Nellil was really enthusiastic about learning so many new customs. Most where unheard of, and a few: REVOLTING!

When he went back to the tent to be briefed on his father's and the King's debate, Albien was exhausted. He was the quiet type; talking this much had been demanding. But at least, he didn't have a headache from arguing with his 'sister' tonight!

* * *

* yrch = orc in Sindarin (if I'm not wrong)


	7. Chapter 7:Part 1: The cure to boredom

**Chapter 7: Part 1: Curiosity, the cure to boredom**

This morning again, Alkien walked Sui to the rendez-vous point. This time Legolas was already there, waiting for them. The Silvan noted that the girl was already sulking, her arms crossed.

"_Good morning my Lord." The giant slightly bowed with his head." Here's the elleth. She's in a 'mood'."

"_I fear, Captain, that my morning is not announcing itself very good then." the prince grimaced. The Captain smirked and left.

Sui screamed to Alkien who was already on his way "_I hope you have no fun at all and-"_ before he cut her by shooting her a glacial glare

"_What's the damn program for today?" she grumbled.

"_ Finish what you started yesterday." His voice was void of enthusiasms.

"_ Again?"

"_Yes. Again." he oriented his hand to the stables.

She made her way there. He followed, closely.

* * *

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* * *

Three hours later, Legolas was bored. He had been sitting on an old bucket, drawing random things with a stick on the ground. He had tried singing songs to occupy his mind but every time he started singing, Sui imitated him in a parodistic manner: being loud and singing in a fake language. It was annoying.

He sighed.

"_Look," Sui stopped what she was doing but didn't let go of the fork she was holding. "if you're bored,'my lord', get out! Go do something else! 'Cause staying here and watching me like that is creepy, so please, don't make it annoying as well, sighing every minutes." With that she added a sarcastic bow.

"_Yes...but no. The last time I tried that, it didn't work out that well, remember?" he accused.

"_Maybe if you had told me that I couldn't actually touch the elk, I wouldn't have fucked up." she used the same tone.

Legolas moved to put his elbows on his knees and rest his weight on it.

"_Do you really have to be so vulgar?". She stuck her tongue out at him. "Or so unpleasant? Because really," he hesitated a second before finishing, "this," he motioned his index between her and himself "is annoying for **both** of us. But, if you were to cooperate, we could just, I don't know, play cards or something and make the whole thing more bearable."

She raised both her eyebrows, let the fork fell on the floor, took a bucket not too far away and brought it close to where the blond elf was, and sat on it.

"_So where are those cards at?" she clasped and hands together. "Can we play-"

"_ Cards were just an example," he cut her. "I don't actually have a deck on me, right now."

She rolled her eyes and stood up to leave but was stopped by a hand grabbing her arm.

"_ We can play aim. It's better than nothing."

He was **really** bored. He couldn't just sit there, doing nothing, another three hours, waiting for lunch. He'd rather leave. He knew he **could **leave. However, he also knew that if he left, something else might happen. And this time, things might not end as well. Also, he wanted to prove to Alkien, and to himself, that he could do it; he felt like the whole thing was a challenge. He planned on winning it. Still, if she was going back to ignoring him, he might just leave and make himself useful elsewhere. Yes. Just go somewhere, anywhere really, as long as there was something there to keep him busy. Perhaps catch up on some quality time with Nellil.

She sat back down. He wouldn't leave.

"_ What are the" she searched for her words "_rules?_" she finally said in her mother tongue.

He frowned his brows a little bit, trying to figure out what she meant.

"_Rules?" he proposed.

She looked at him questioningly.

"_ Rules are the set of understood principles that defines one's conduct within a particular activity." he explained, "You really didn't know that word?" he was surprised.

"_ Well, it's not like Sindarin is my mother tongue!" She was offended.

"_ Jeez, sorry!" it came out like a complaint. "I'm just surprised because your Sindarin is really good, and 'rules' is a simple word."

"_ Thank you. I guess." despite the fact that it was said dryly, she was smiling. Slightly.

"_ If that isn't surprising!" exclaimed the prince "YOU, can actually be grateful. Or actually almost grateful."

They both laughed.

* * *

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* * *

In the palace, Únel had joined the other Ladies into getting things ready for the party to come. She was appointed the task to supervise the artists in their future show but quickly changed it to be in the group sewing new tapestries: the group in which Nellil was. She was curious about the person who would marry the elf she wanted. She had never met the princess. She had seen her from afar at parties or walking in the gardens, but they were never introduced. And everyone knows that you must know your enemy better than yourself if you want to win against him,-or her, in this case.

The green eyed lady had been working with the other court ladies for a while now, but Nellil still hadn't showed up. Únel was getting impatient. If the princess wasn't going to show, she would have to do with whatever gossip she could get from the elleths in the room.

"_ The princess's absence is worrying me. I wonder if she is in good health..." she broke the silence, hoping to start a conversation there.

The other ladies exchanged shy looks in the circle they were sitting in. They were hesitating to talk: Únel was quite charismatic for an elleth. They didn't want to make a fool of themselves in front of her, she guessed..

Finally, one of them, the one sitting on her right, pursed her lips, then dared to speak:

"_ I-I am the princess..." she stuttered, disappointed to not having been recognised .

The intimidating elleth startled. '_Shit! I didn't even recognize her. What's wrong with me!?'_

"_I am deeply sorry, your highness. I didn't mean to offend you."

Nellil smiled warmly and took Únel hands in hers.

"_ Do not worry, I am not offended." she went back to her tapestry "Forgive my curiosity, my Lady," she raised her head to meet the other woman's green eyes "but I do not think I have met you before, are you one of the king's guest?"

"_ No, I was born here." neither her tone and her expression betrayed the fact that she did not appreciate being called a visitor in her homeland. By a stranger. Who happens to be the one who will marry the prince.

"_ Ah! I am sorry!" recognizing her mistake, the princess brought her hand to her mouth as if to swallow back the question she previously asked. "It is just...I come here every year, but I do not remember seeing you before."

"_ That is because not long after your betrothal and the prince was made public, I had to move to Rivendell in order to finish my formation in healing, then to Lotlorien to learn to use a bow properly." her tone was soft. She didn't want to scare the smaller elleth away. Still, she couldn't bring herself to be as far as friendly just yet.

"_Aww!" the royal elleth complained "I'm so jealous! I never got to travel elsewhere than here." She quickly added "Not that Greenwood the Great isn't a wonderful place! It is just... that I would like to see more of the world."

Únel did not find answer so she simply smiled.

At the sight of the older elleth's smile, Nellil's self-esteem sinked inside of her. Únel was charismatic, skilled in many things (it seemed), and unthinkably gorgeous when she smiled. _' Please Arda, please, don't tell me she can sing and dance too or I will drown in a river of envy!" _

Too lost in her thoughts, the princess didn't realise she had badly neglected part of the pattern's cross stitches.

"_ Here," Únel called Nellil back on earth "may I undo it for you?" she offered pleasantly.

"_ Thank you." she handed the fabric to the attractive elleth. "I'm sorry you have to clean my mess..."

"_ Do not worry, you are really good already. It was just a small lack of focus, it happens." she smiled. " May I ask you, my Lady, what is troubling you so much that you do not see your needles?" she teased in an affectionate fashion.

Nellil chuckled. Únel wasn't so 'scary' after all.

"_ I was just imaging what fascinating adventures you must have lived while travelling."

"_ Would you like to hear about them now?"

"_ A millions of times yes, please!"

* * *

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* * *

In the stables, the game's rule were simple: throw a rock through the small hole in the wooden wall. If it goes through you get to ask the other a question and they get a drink from the bottle Gilion left in his horse's stall. If it doesn't, you get to clean a horse stall.

The drink must have been strong for after a couple of them, both the prince and the Avari shared a few secrets. Sui admitted having stolen a necklace that Alkien was given by his wife, because she wanted a souvenir of him when he left home for months. If he found out about this, he might just kill her! She also grumbled about how cooking was 'a time consuming pain in the _ass_' and sewing 'shouldn't even_ fucking_ exist'. And Legolas told her all about the fellowship and his befriending of a dwarf. The girl only comments were 'if it's true, then you all risked your lives for a jewel. It's dumb, you shouldn't brag about it.' and 'Dwarves are cool _dudes_. I never met any, but their ale is a _blast!_'.

"_ You get to clean a stall!" shouted the Silvan.

"_ I'm not doing it!" she protested, "not 'till you've answered the question I asked!"

"_ I told you, the answer is...too personal...And I took a shot so let's leave it there!"

"_ Rooooh common! I told you my breast mensuration for god's sake!"

"_ I asked for your overall size, never for your breast size." he shot her a mean glare. He wished he could erase hat over-shared information from his brain.

"_ Yeah, well, you already have it! Now commmoooooon," she begged "You made me curious! Assume the consequences!" she moved closer to him.

He shook his head. " Say it or I'm throwing what's inside at you." she grabbed the bottle of liquor to threaten him with it.

"_ If you clean the next 5 stalls I have to clean I will tell you."

"_ There's only one left to clean for me now, how am I supposed to clean 5 more?"

"_ Then you can wash horses instead."

"_ I clean the stall I have to, and 2 horses in your stead if you loose. How does that sound?"

"_ 3 horses."

"_ Deal!" She walked to the last dirty stall "Now, talk!"

"_ You never saw my mother because she passed away when I was a child" he spoke on a low tone, "I wouldn't remember her face if it wasn't for the statue in the gardens." his voice had been filled with emotion.

Upon hearing this, Sui dropped her tool and ceased the cleaning to go back and hug the prince. When she asked, a few minutes ago, where was his mother and why she only heard rumours about his father and none about his mother, she wasn't expecting that. She had been hopping to hear some crispy gossip like ' my mother left my father for another ' or ' Actually, she's a monster, so we hide her where no one can see her face '.

"_What are you doing?" the prince finally asked hesitantly after a few seconds of the awkwardest hug he's ever been given. Obviously, both of them were uncomfortable in this embrace.

"_ Comforting you a little. Or at least trying." she clarified. "I know what it feels like to lose someone dear to you."

He moved one arm to her back, applying almost no pressure, to return the hug.

"_Who did you loose?" he asked compassionately.

The elleth broke the hug and walked back to the stall she was supposed to be cleaning.

"_ I don't remember seeing you throw a rock through the hole." she said, without turning around to look at him.

Legolas didn't appreciate the sudden distance she put between them. He had just let himself be seen vulnerable, because he was drunk indeed, but still, he revealed himself and she was refusing to do the same.

_'If she doesn't say it willingly, I'll get it out of her._' He took a rock, used all the control he had left over his body to throw a rock. It went right through the whole.

"_ Who did you loose?"he walked up to her to hand her the liquor " here's a drink to help you talk!" he smirked.

There was no tension despite the provocation.

"_ Both, my parents." she took the bottle and swallowed a mouthful of it.

"_ Sorry..." he lowered his gaze, ashamed of having childishly pushed her to 'open up'.

"_ Relax, I'm over it." she gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder. He smiled then put a small rock in her hand.

"_ Your turn!"

With one hand she gave him back the bottle while closing the other around the rock before returning near the buckets they were sitting on to throw the rock. It went through.

"_ _YES_!" her enthusiasm was back "What does your name mean? Oh and drink!"

"_ 'Legolas' is the Silvan dialect form of the Sindarin 'Laegolas_'._."

She burst out in laughter.

"_ So your name actually means 'green leaf'." she stopped talking to laugh some more. "Man, it's a bad name." she added still mocking him. He picked up and threw a rock at her.

"_ What does **yours** mean?"

"_ Apple." she said proudly. "Seriously who came up with that name?" she went back to teasing him on his name.

"_ My father..."he said rolling his eyes, not wanting to talk about it any more. He didn't need her to tell him his name was 'funny'. He knew it already. Rivendell's twins made it clear every time they saw him.

"_ Well, he's got terrible tastes!" she provoked some more.

Legolas knew this to be true; his father's summer crown made everyone agree on that fact; but her provocation called for a reaction.

The prince, tightened his hold on the bottle and, with a brusque movement, projected the rest of alcohol inside the bottle on the Avari. She yanked in disgust and looked at him as if to kill him with her eyes. Then broke the tension with another loud laughter, joined by the Silvan's.

"_ I'll get you a towel." he said, then headed towards the door, then stopped and turn around, "Don't leave this place!"he warned, turning around again before stopping his motion to add: "Don't go anywhere close the elk either.". And before going through the door he finished with "Actually, don't move and don't touch anything! Just sit there until I come back, please."

She rolled her eyes and nodded to relive his stress.


	8. Chapter 7: Part 2: No moral

**Chapter 7: Part 2: People with no moral**

When walking back to the stables with a towel, Legolas recognised Alkien's shape from afar. He thought about hiding for a second: what would the Captain think if he saw him there, just walking around, half drunk, after the previous incident? But if the blond elf had seen him, surely the Avari men had seen him too so there was no avoiding the other him.

"_ You left her alone again." Once again, Alkien was making a statement using that accusing sounding tone of him, that didn't sound like he was accusing any one of anything.

"_ Yes I have. However this time, I am confident she won't do anything reckless." he seemed sure of himself.

"_ Good." said the Captain, only half believing the situation was under control. "That's one thing her parents would like to hear."

Confusion sled on the Silvan's face.

"_ You mean, something they **would have liked** to hear." he corrected.

Alkien raised a brow.

"_ Sui's parents are very much alive, still." The Avari now furrowing his brows. "Why did you think they were dead?" he suspected something might be going on since the younger elf's expression was now unrecognisable.

"_ It's just..." Legolas hesitated feeling his body warming up as he was about to lie to someone he respected. "She never mentioned them and since you seem to be the person caring for her I assumed...the worst." He was sweating.

"_ Your highness, are you drunk **on duty**?" Alkien asked noticing the other elf's agitation and smelling the alcohol on him

"_No-o!" he panicked, "I just... she broke a bottle that was hidden in a stall, it stained both of us." he lied, showing an old stains on his tunic.

Alkien locked his eyes with the prince for a few seconds, he knew the younger elf was lying but decided that having an argument now would be a wasted of his precious time. He wanted to reorganise the scout parties with Galdor and avoid getting involved in any more irrelevant issues like such. He started walking away but was stopped by the wood elf.

"_ My Lord, I have a question. What does her name, 'Sui' mean?"

"_ 'Sui' is not her name. It is the short for '_Suikhé pa rathet mel rein'. _The expression doesn't translate well, but it comes close to 'deceiving' or ' always in need of change'. We call her that because of her aleatory way of fighting." he paused to breathe. "It fits her better than her given name, if you want my opinion. Her real name translates into 'Mature Apple'. But she is not fruit anyone would want a bite of: she is too bitter and hides quite a few worms."

"_ What is her real name?"

* * *

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* * *

Sui was laying down, in horse hay, when the stables' door slammed open, scaring her and the horses. She stoop up quickly only to have a towel thrown at her face.

"_ What was that for?" she growled, taking the towel off her face. "I though we were cool now." she raised her head to look at the prince's indignated face.

"_ **Lyvaïa**, you lied to me." He was resentful.

At the sudden use of her given name, Sui froze. She knew he knew.

"_Who told you my name?" she asked, on a blank tone.

"_ Alkien did." he paused and formed a cruel smirk on his face. "I am not sure if I should get angry at you, congratulate you for your incredible lying abilities, or thank you for teaching me a good lesson about trust.", he laughed nervously. "You're such a hypocrite. Faking compassion and pretending to be a friend... I can't believe I-"

"_ You're not one to talk!" she snapped back, interrupting him. "You pretend to be a perfect, _charming_ prince with your betrothed and **take care **ofgreen eyes in her back."

The words came out like razor blades, cutting Legolas's body in small pieces. The elf felt his body become heavier and warmer, his breathing fasten. She could ruin everything.

"_ How do y-"

"_ I saw you in the forest when I was riding the elk." she explained. " You were too busy cuddling to notice my presence.",she accused.

The Silvan's face turned white.

"_ Tell anyone and I'll let Alkien know that YOU stole the necklace his wife gave him." he threatened, not showing any emotion. "I'll have someone else watch you from tomorrow on; seeing your face twists my intestines." he spat before leaving the stables in a rush.

* * *

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* * *

Nellil had spent half of the day conversing with Únel and the other half questioning random Avari people to get to understand their culture better. Albien had been a good help: he introduced her to welcoming people and translated everything for her. But he had to leave her and the Sindar butler (Gilion, who accompanied her to the camp) alone, when a short elleth and a taller elf with identical green eyes told him something in Avari tongue. He had looked annoyed and sighed a lot so she proposed to help with whatever seemed to be a problem but he turned her down. Rude. She was only trying to be nice.

It was now late in the night and she wanted to rest her feet in the calm and comfort of her room so she retired there, only to find someone laying like a starfish, face buried in her pillows, in her bed.

"_ What are you doing here!" she exclaimed a little bit irritated at the intrusion. "You're not allowed in those compartments! Not until we are wed!" she put on her usual cute pout on, just on time for Legolas to see it when he turned around. "How did you even get here!? They are mean governantes guarding the doors from male presence!"

"_ I snuck in through the window..." he admitted. She gave him a judgy glare. "I'm not proud of myself! But you leave me no choice!" he pouted.

"_ What do you mean?" , her face relaxed and her tone was innocent. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

"_ Well, you have been avoiding me.", he complained, moving to a sitting position on the mattress.

"_ No I haven't!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms. She didn't like being accused of things she hadn't done.

"_ Then why haven't I seen you since your first night here? Why do you ditch your servants and let no one know where you go? You didn't even join us for dinner tonight." he said, letting her know by the tone of his voice, that he was hurt. She let her arms fall on each side of her body and smiled at him.

"_ You haven't seen me since since my first night here because I have been busy making new friends, and planning the party." she sat on the bed side and caressed his cheek. "I am sorry, I didn't mean for you to feel abandoned". She kissed his cheek, which made hers turn intensely red.

He smiled at her and took her hand too kiss it.

"_ So tell me, who are your new friends?" He was curious.

"_ Well, first, there is this Avari, Albien, but he wants me to call him 'Sir'." she rolled her eyes. "He is teaching me about their culture. Second, there is a new lady at the court who travelled A- LOT. She is breathtaking. I think you would like her! She too can use a bow. Her name is Únel!". She was exited about sharing her tiny adventures with her beloved. However he hadn't looked too pleased from the moment she said 'Avari' and turned whiter than a corpse when he heard 'Únel'. Nellil sighed and took her hand out of his. "What did I do wrong?" she frowned.

The princess had no idea what was going on in the prince's head.

He didn't show it but he was stressed. _'Does she know? No. She can't know, the pest wouldn't tell anyone, would she?No, she wouldn't. Besides, if she knew, she would be angry, not asking me what she did wrong. She probably thinks I disapprove about the Avari. Yes, yes, that must be it." _he rationalized.

"_ Nothing it's just...It's a good thing you are making new friends." he assured her. "Although, I'm not comfortable about you being alone with Avari people. They do not strike me as trustworthy people."

She raised a brow.

"_ Are you referential to the maid again?"

He sighed and bent his head down as he remembered how he opened to someone he thought would become a good friend only to have his hopes and feeling crushed down to the floor and spat on by a betrayal.

"_ Lest us have a good moment together and keep her out of this discussion, please." he begged, not offering an explanation.

"_ All right... Could it be that you are jealous then?" she teased, smirking.

He raised his head back up in a second.

"_ I am not jealous!", he protested, as she chuckled. "I simply cannot attend to my tasks knowing you among strangers. You should always have someone accompany you, at least when you go there." he said not quite aggressively but firmly enough for Nellil to feel attacked. Upon hearing this, she frowned again, crossed her arms and turned to show him her back. She disliked when he was acting with her the way he always complained everyone was acting with him: over-protectively.

He nicely put a hand on her shoulder and added tenderly "It is not an order, it is only a request. It would be an enormous weight lifted off my mind if you agreed."

She relaxed and said, still pouting a little bit:

"_ I will ask Galion to come with me again next time."

"_ Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her.

Surprised and slightly uncomfortable, she jumped off his embrace, to her feet.

"_ W-we should t-take a walk in the garden!" she stuttered, still red from the previous contact.

Legolas held inside both a frown and a sigh. In this kind of moment he really questioned how old his betrothed was. She was supposed to be only about two or three hundred years younger than he was, but acted like teenager; getting all acted up by almost all gestures of affection, even when insignificant. It was frustrating. Of course elves have a lot of control over their body's need but a minimum of physical contact is always welcomed. Also what was she thinking? True, they were in a room, alone, but he was conscious that she was not ready to be touched in a sexual way, so he wouldn't even try. And if she thought he wanted to do more than feel her, then she was far from the truth: he wasn't ready to bind himself to her for life. Not yet, anyway.

"_ I am too tired to walk in the garden." he said, lazily laying back on the bed again. "I just want to sleep here, close to you." he smiled innocently. "I promise I won't misbehave. I really just want to fall asleep in your arms!" She didn't move so he sat back up and added "But I can leave now. If you want to be alone for the night, I understand."

She hesitated a little, but went to sit near him again.

"_ No it's okay. I trust you." she said not looking at him yet. "Besides, you have the face of someone in need of comfort, so please, stay."


	9. Chapter 8: I plead Guilty

**Chapter 8: I plead Guilty **

(4th day of the Avari in Greenwood)**  
**

* * *

The sun wasn't up yet and Ólion and Legolas had been on duty of guard watch for about 2 hours. Instead they had only really been sitting on the wall, gossiping like young maidens would after buying a new dress or kissing a new boy.

The prince was bragging. He had been with the pretty Nellil for the hole night and he had gotten her to open up more than he thought was possible. "I held her so close she was trembling." he had said. He had also added that she let him caress her thighs "and by the Valar they are soft!" and something about making out. To that all Ólion answered was "Enjoy it while it last, because after the next week's party the twins are coming in town.". Needless to say that the blond elf choked on this information and almost fall off the wall.

"_ Shit! Noooo! Shit! Shit, shit!" he grabbed his hair hysterically "They will ruin everything!" he cried out.

"_What are you talking about? They do like to prank you... a lot, but they aren't that bad. No need to cry about it." he patted his friend's back.

"_ You don't understand! They will put their noses everywhere and find out abou-" he stopped himself realising what he was about to reveal.

"_ Find out about what?" asked Ólion offended that Legolas was hiding something from him, his childhood friend.

"_ I..." he didn't know how to put it in a full sentence, so instead of explaining everything, he simply said "Únel." lowering his head in shame.

"_WHAAAAT?!" Ólion screamed! He knew very well that if this elleth was involved, clothes probably weren't. "WHAT HAPPENED?! What did you do, Legolas?"

The prince bit his lips.

"_ I-I...went into woods with her, we shot a few arrows then laid down...and cuddled...and I might have touched her..." the other elf shot him a mean glare so he quickly added "But nothing too serious, you know. Nothing more than I did with Nellil last night!"

Ólion looked perplex for a second, not sure how to knock some sense into this little prince's head.

"_ Okay first, high five! She is still stunning!" he admitted, raising his hand for his friend to slap the flat of it. But instead of letting their hands meet, Ólion grabbed Legolas' wrist at the last moment and hit him with his own hand. Twice. Before scolding him: "What is wrong with you! Have you gone insane?! Do you want to have your _gweth_ cut off by Nellil's father?!"

"_ I know it's bad! I feel guilty for this..." he grimaced.

"_ No! It's not bad! It's a thousands times worst than that! What the hell were you thinking?!" he grounded.

"_ Honestly?" he waited for the other to nod, "I just wanted to rip her clothes off.." he admitted. "I didn't go that far though.".

There was a minute of silence.

"_Okay, here is what we're going to do." started Ólion. " We will pretend that it never happened." he pointed at Legolas with his index "And, YOU**, **don't even breathe the same her as Únel!" he warned, "Or you will fall for it again." He paused then finished with: "I doubt she will tell anything to anyone if she plans on staying here."

"_ She does?" asked the prince. "She's not leaving again?"

Ólion hit the back of his head to bring him back on Middle earth.

"_ Get your priorities straight! Don't make things worse than they already are!"

Legolas grimaced.

"_ I haven't told you the worse yet..."

Ólion put his hand on his face in exasperation then used it to hit the other elf again.

"_ You don't even know what I've done yet!"

"_ It's in prevision of what is coming. I have a feeling I am going to dislike it." he complained. "Now, go on. What else could you possibly have done?"

"_ The pest saw us." said the Silvan, not meeting his friend's gaze.

The lower elf opened his eye wide. The new development was most unpleasant. So he pinched the prince's arm. Hard. So hard he let escape a small scream of pain. But he didn't complain: he knew he deserved it both for having cheated and for having been caught while doing it.

"_ You are so dead." This time Ólion wasn't shouting any more, he was only stating a fact. Having nothing else to say, he stood up and readied himself to leave, however, he suddenly realised something. "Wait, is that the reason why you want me to watch after your Avari girl from now on? Because you're scared of what she will do?"

Legolas did not answer right away. He grimaced before admitting something else:.

"_ I kind of threatened her...so she won't say anything. I just really don't want to see her lying face again."

"_You threatened an elfling?!"he exclaimed. Legolas's grimace amplified. He wasn't proud of himself for any of this."Unbelievable." concluded Ólion, before leaving.

* * *

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* * *

Sui was waiting at the usual spot, at the usual time for someone to show up. She knew the prince wouldn't come today, but wasn't sure who to expect, and was trying to find a way to avoid having to clean anything today. Maybe the new 'supervisor' would be easy to convince into letting her go elsewhere. Perhaps she could manipulate him into it. And if he was too smart for that...well...she could still force him to let her go by being despicable and moody.

"_ Hey." said a voice on a linear tone coming from behind her.

"_ Hey." she answered,, on the same unimpressed tone while turning around to face the elf. It was her first time to see him. Or so she thought. All the wood elves had the same face to her so it wasn't a surprise she didn't recognise him from anywhere. Although, he was as tall as Avari men and almost as broad. Only his long shiny red hair betrayed his origin.

"_ Are you Sui?", he raised his brows.

"_ Maybe." she shrugged.

He furrowed a brow and raised the other one. She was undoubtedly the elleth he was looking for. And she promised to be as interesting as expected.

"_ My name is Ólion." he introduced himself. "His highness tasked me with supervising you today." he explained. She didn't answer and simply stared at him, uninterested. "Today, you will rearrange the armoury." he told her.

She smiled.

* * *

**·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·**

* * *

As he was jumping from one branch to another in a sprint, Legolas miscalculated the distance between both, missing from a few inches the spot he was supposed to lend on. Gravity tried to bring him down to the floor, which would have resulted in numerous broken bones, if Mhélir strong arms hadn't caught him right on time. The Avari elf brought the blond elf back to his feet, cursing in his tongue at the same time.

The wood elf shot him a disapproving glare.

"_ There was no need to insult me. Errors such as these happen." he calmly told the other elf.

"_ It was the third time today. If your mind is elsewhere, maybe you shouldn't be out scouting in a forest infested with orcs. You can go back, we are still close to the palace." answered the Avari, getting ready to sprint again. But he stopped himself. "What makes you think I insulted you?" Mhélir asked, curious to how Eryn Lasgalen's prince came to learn Avari swear words when, so far, he hadn't even tried befriending any of them.

"_ A young Avari girl taught me a few words. These were among them." he explained.

Mhélir smirked. Sui must have called him a _'weak retarded dwarf troll_' quite a few times for him to have memorized it.

"_ Huh! You must mean she insulted you." he corrected the prince.

"_ Do you know of whom I spoke?"

" _No." he lied, then broke in a run.

Legolas followed close behind. He wouldn't let go of the matter. True, he had almost fallen three times, and each time the dark skinned elf caught him, but it was only because there were too many things going on in his mind right now: he shouldn't be judged on his physical abilities at the moment.

"_ By the way, I am not weak. And neither am I retarded." he threw, keeping his cool.

"_ Then please, focus, my Lord. Because you are slowing us down."

_'Why are all Avari so stoic!?'_ thought the prince.

"_You know, we don't have a time limit to scout this area. There is no need to rush." assured the prince.

"_ I have more important things to take care of. I am sure that you too would like to be elsewhere, your Highness. So let's get done with this as fast as we can." said the green eyed Avari.

The few next time the prince tried to converse with him, Mhélir pretended not to understand Sindarin as well as he actually did, hoping the wood elf would give up on asking questions. However, Legolas's tongue seemed to be tireless. So he decided to ignore him all together.

* * *

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* * *

Back in the armoury, Sui was in a good mood. Probably the best she had been ever since coming to the Greenwood the Great. Because she was sanctioned, Alkien had also forbidden her to train or use any kind of blade: she would enjoy it too much. But Ólion didn't know that. And as long as she sharpened and reorganised the swords, he didn't seem to care much about what she was doing, nor how she was doing it. So she practiced: dancing around swinging swords, happily attacking wooden dummies, kicking and punching heavy bags of sands hanging from the ceiling... Ólion simply sat around, helping a little bit, making conversation and eating snacks.

"_ So basically, if I beat you in a fight, you will then owe me respect?" he asked for confirmation, sitting on a bag of sand, finishing an apple.

"_ Exactly!" replied Sui between two kicks.

"_ Is having a duel mandatory?" he tried to articulates while chewing. "Because," he paused because of the chewing. "I doubt that you fought that enormous guy on your camp," he chewed again." and I'm pretty sure you are **very** careful to not rub your massive vice Captain the wrong way."

"_ Yeah," she puffed "of course not." She switched to punching a dummy.

The elf waited a minute for the elleth to explain things in more details, but she seemed too absorbed by the punching.

"_ Care to elaborate?" he pushed.

Sui butt-headed the bag and ended up on the floor, panting and slightly disoriented. Ólion failed to contain his amusement and laughed. He got up to help the girl back on her feet and offered some water. She swallowed half of the bottle's content before clarifying things for the wood elf.

"_ I know what The Colossal is worth in combat. There even are close to 21 songs about how strong he is, can you believe that?" she asked rhetorically, making a face. "_Anyway_, the point is that since he's obviously stronger, and I know it, and every one else too, I would be insulting him if I even asked him in a duel."

"_Okay...so if I get everything right: when the other person has already proven themselves in combat, or if it is obvious that they are stronger than you are," he paused to think "You have to respect them even though you never fought them."

"_Yup that's it." she confirmed. "Also, you don't have to fight people who are stronger than the people you fought with and couldn't beat either to owe them respect. Unless they don't look very strong and you feel like you can beat them." Ólion looked confused now, but she kept going. "And sometimes people want to fight you in although they know you are weaker just to put you back at your place if you tease them too much." she finished.

"_ Then why do you talk back to your Captain and torture Legolas?" he asked, still not completely grasping the meaning of everything she had said.

"_ Alkien is the person I respect the most, but he's like family, you see," she drunk some more water." So I don't have to show that I respect him unless I'm on duty. And about _blondie_..." she sighed. "Well I don't like him, I've never seen him fight, and he doesn't look very strong...So I don't owe him anything." she explained.

"_ Didn't he tell you about the fellowship of the ring? You know, a King, a few brave Hobbits, a strong man, a Dwarf, Mithrandir and him saving the world? Nothing too impressive..."he said sarcastically.

"_ Yes, he told me about it." she furrowed a brow, remembering the story. " But it was the first time I ever heard about it. And rings don't talk. Plus risking one's life for a jewel is _dumb_! If everyone wanted it, they should have just asked someone to make some more rings, on the same model. They would have avoided all this trouble."

Ólion laughed. He thought that inability of hers not to grasp the importance of things was funny. He wandered how she could see things under such simple angles, even when they were nothing else but complex.

"_ Fair enough, I guess. Although, if you hate Legolas so much, why did you tell him about the necklace you stole?" The elleth jaw dropped open at the mention of the necklace. "He tells me everything." offered Ólion. "But relax, I'll keep it to myself." he assured her.

"_ _That orc faced troll_! We had a deal! _He was supposed to keep his mouth shut!_" She kicked the sandbag out of anger. It moved and hit the older elf.

"_ Is that your way of provoking me in a duel?" he joked rubbing his side, where the bag hit him. She laughed.

"_ It wasn't the goal, but I would love too fight!" she exclaimed excited, running to grab a sword. "I haven't fought it in a long while!"

"_ I thought Avari trained every day?" he asked, referring to what she had told him earlier today.

"_ We do! But I'm being punished, remember?" she said, exasperation peeking through her tone.

"_ Oh, what a terrible punishment!" he was sarcastic. "You get not to scout, not to get bruises and not to see orcs ugly faces! This must be awe full!" he teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"_ Are you going to pick up a sword or are you afraid to fight a elleth?" she provoked.

Ólion, grabbed a sword.

"_ I'm warning you, I won't hold back!"

* * *

_gweth= sindarin for penis _


	10. Chapter 9 : Incompetent elf detected

**Chapter 9 : Incompetent elf detected**

ellon = a male elf

ellyn = male elves

ellith = female elves

* * *

It was the middle of the afternoon, on the second day after Avari and wood elves joined forces to scout the forest in order to determine how bad the orc infestation was. Mhéléane who had been scouting all morning was now sitting, irritated, in the infirmary, back in the Sindars' caverns, trying to hold still to facilitate the tending of her wound by the nurse. The injury wasn't as bad as to threaten her life but was deep enough to require stitches. She twitched from the pain from time to time or bit her lips not to whimper. The nurse talking to her in Sindarin, of which she barely understood a word, wasn't helping soothing her mood. Staring at the ground, she was wandering how much more annoying this situation could become when people sat in the bed in front of the one she was sitting on, in the main room.

One wore fine brown leather boots, dirtied by sand and the other wore..no shoes?! Recalling that the only person always walking around barefoot was her friend she smirked and raised her head to meet her gaze. However, her eyes didn't go higher that the elleth's bleeding arm.

"__What happened to you?_" asked Mhéléane, wandering how Sui could have gotten hurt when she wasn't supposed to go near a blade.

Sui looked down at her bleeding gash on which she applied pressure with an old piece of cloth, grimaced and explained:

"_ _I provoked _Ólion _in a sword duel._" she pointed at him with a move of the head "_He kicked my ass." _she said annoyed by the situation.

Mhéléane looked at the elf sitting near her friend. He hadn't reacted at the mention of his name and had just been sitting still, starring at her the whole time. She examined every part of him. He only had one cut and only a few insignificant bruises, but was still out of breath. She must have made him run all over the place. _'Trying to win by tiring your adversary in order to finish him easily. Classic! You're even lazier when you fight!' _thought the green eyed Avari. She also wandered if the issue of the duel would have been the same if Sui had fought with her knives and not a sword. Sui was terrible with swords. Almost all the other trainees could beat her when she fought with one. But when she had her knives...

"_ _What about yo__u?_" asked Sui, cutting Mhéléane in her thoughts.

"_ _The idiot wood elf they paired me with for the scouting shot me with an arrow. By accident._" Mhéléane twitched because of the pain in her arm. She glanced at Ólion and met his eyes. She tilted her head and not taking her eyes of him she asked "_What is wrong that one? He is has been looking at me funny ever since he sat down._" She frowned.

Sui turned her head to look at her new friend. He was in fact starring at Mhélir's sister in a rather intense way.

"_ Is that your way to court her?" she switched to Sindarin to speak to him.

Hearing that something was being directed to him, but without hearing the question, Ólion blinked out of his 'trance' and turned his head to look at his interlocutor.

"_ What-"

"_ It's okay she doesn't speak a word of Sindarin. Look." she looked at Mhéléane again and said "You are weak." There was no reaction from Mhéléane. She still had her head tilted to the side and her eyes fixed on the ellon. Sui brought back her eyes on Ólion " See, sh-"

A noisy and agitated group of person entering the room caught her attention. The cacophonous mass moved, in a tight group, to a private room at the back. Mhéléane, Sui and Ólion followed them with their eyes as they crossed the main room, not noticing that one person alienating themselves from it to walk up to them. Once the ellon was too close to be ignored, they all looked at him.

"_ _What are you doing here?_" said Mhélir, worried at the sight of his darling sister's bleeding arm. "_Are yo-_"

"_ _I'm fine!_" growled Mhéléane, moving her non wounded arm to tell him to leave her alone.

Her brother's face showed discomfort and hurt from the sudden rejection. Then ignoring Ólion, he turned to Sui.

"_ _What happened to the both of you? Did you have an argument again?_" he asked, knowing that his sister's friend would offer a proper explanation and recalling the last time the two girls had different opinions on something.

"_ _She was shot by an incapable wood elf and I lost a duel," _she pointed at at Ólion._ "he won_."

"_ Why are you here?" Ólion intruded the conversation as politely as he could. He had been there the day the scouting pairs were made and knew Mhélir was appointed to be Legolas's partner in the task. He also knew that both the green eyed Avari ellon and Legolas were supposed to be scouting right now. Seeing the Avari here and not his friend worried him.

"_ Your prince was shot by a poisonous orc arrow, he didn't coordinate his movement to mine in close fighting so he also met my sword, and later, he hit a tree at full speed."

Mhéléane did not grasp a word of the conversation but was intrigued by it because of her friend's face. In fact, the slightly older elleth's expression was one of both shock and amusement, which made her look ridiculous.

Sui exploded in laughters and Ólion eyes grew gigantically round.

* * *

A door at the back of the infirmary opened. A blond head peaked out of it, looking around as if searching for something. His eyes stopped on the ground from where loud laughters came from. He did not recognised the voice but noticed his childhood friend sitting in front the noisy elleth. He looked right, then left, jumped out of the room and without attracting attention hobbled his way to Ólion.

"_ Your prince can't fight! He ran into a tree! What a-eeek" she screamed as someone arms showed around the red haired wood elf she was talking to, surprising her in the middle of her speech.

"_ Ólion, please!" wailed the prince, not looking at whoever else was around. "Take me home before they find me! They want to sedate me! I don't want to be knocked out for the night! Please help me to the safety my bed! NOW!" he cried.

Ólion face-palmed himself. By acting like an elfling, Legolas had just ruined all the arguments he gave Sui to convince her that despite the tree incident, the prince was a strong, very mature and focused elf. Now, he would never get her any close to even think about the possibility of thinking about respecting the prince one day.

Not feeling his friend move or react in anyway, Legolas retrieved his head out of his friends neck to find three Avari with mocking smiles on their lips looking at him. He frowned and sighed. The first one he saw was Mhélir. Now his scouting partner would underestimate him forever. The second one, he hadn't seen before. The thoughts that she was really good looking and that she resembled Mhélir A LOT crossed his mind at the same time, which disturbed him and caused him to grimace slightly. The third one, WAIT! _'The pest!_' He held her mocking gaze and gave her the same cold glare he receives from his father when he angers him.

Ólion didn't notice his friend was busy trying to scare the not-so-bad-after-all Avari girl and stood up to position himself right in front of him, blocking his view.

Legolas relaxed his face and raised his gaze to look at his friend's face.

"_ Alright, let's go." said Ólion.

The red headed elf helped the Silvan up. The blond ellon rested a lot of weight on his friend. His left leg hurt from the gash left by Mhélir's sword. He also had bandages around his forehead and and right upper arm. Like it happened to Mhéléane, the arrow only cut the side of his shoulder. However the rest of poison in his body made him dizzy every now and then.

* * *

Not long after Legolas and Ólion started walking away, the nurse tending Mhéléane left the group as well. Despite the distraction caused by the argument between Ólion and Sui, her job had been easy since the green eyed Avari elleth had barely moved.

In the mean time, the three Avari were still starring at the two friends difficultly walking away until Mhéléane broke the silence.

"_ _You were right._" she agreed "_He is angry at you_."

Sui was starring into nothing and didn't hear anything.

"_ _I don't think it matters to her._" told Mhélhir to his sister without noticing either that Sui wasn't following the conversation.

The siblings looked expectantly and insistently at the third Avari, getting impatient for an answer.

"_ _Sui_?" Mhélhéane caught her attention.

"_ _Hm_?" replied the brown eyed elleth.

"_ _Do you actually care ?_" Mhélir's tone was one of shock. Since when did she concern herself with other people's opinion about her?

"_ _I wasn't following, do I care about what?"_ she asked before quickly adding "_Actually never mind_," she shrugged "_I don't care._"

The siblings exchanged wandering looks, not really sure about what had just happened until the youngest motioned for the other to leave. An 'elleth to elleth' talk seemed to be needed, so the ellon left without asking any question.

The second Mhélir abandoned his sit, an elleth with almond shaped eyes sat on it. She came to tend Sui's cut. It was still bleeding. The cut started from the wrist and went up to the elbow. It wasn't deep but numerous small veins had been cut open.

After examining the gash, she told Sui it couldn't be stitched and explained that she shouldn't be using her arm for at least two days to give the veins enough time to heal. The Avari girl growled as a response. She had noticed sooner that the bruises on Ólion's body had almost completely disappeared when he left, while hers were still red and fresh. She concluded that wood elves healed twice faster than Avari and therefore, the two days of convalescence she was supposed to take would turn into three or four days.

The nurse started a special elf massage to stop the bleeding while the Avari kept talking, ignoring her presence.

"_ _Do you feel guilty_?"

"_ _For what?_" Sui truly had no idea what her friend meant by that.

"_ _You know, lying to prince-face, breaking his trust and stepping on it when all he did was opening up to you and being nice."_Mhéléane never went easy on her friend. The ellith believed that honesty was the pillar of every good and healthy relationships so they always shared what they thought without wearing gloves: they could handle honest and hurtful opinions.

Sui cursed under her breath.

"_ _I never said he was nice._" she grumbled.

"_ _No, you __just avoided saying the word."_she corrected. "_You described him as 'decent', 'sensitive', and 'fair play'. Those were your exact words. _"she commented.

"_ _Ah! fuck off!_" the shortest elleth protested.

"_ _That's not answering my question._" stated Mhéléane.

"_ _Haaa..._" Sui sighed. "_No. I don't feel guilty._". She paused to look at her injury, which was now almost fully bandaged. She hadn't twitched once during the process. "_He has known me for what? three, four days? He shouldn't believe everything I say." _she stated, before speaking to herself in Sindarin "That prince is too naïve..."

Mhéléhane didn't have enough time to answer: the nurse spoke faster.

"_ Could you be talking about prince Legolas? Do you know him? Do you know how he fares?" she asked.

Annoyed by more questions about the blond elf, Sui shook her head in annoyance and left, her wound not fully bandaged. Mhéléane, amused, followed her outside.

Únel, the nurse, was taken aback by such a reaction. It was rude to ignore her questions and disrespecting to her status as healer to leave without letting her finish the job.

* * *

** ·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·**

* * *

Ólion brought Legolas back to his room. The journey took Legolas a lot of efforts and a lot of time. Due to his random dizziness, the ellyn to had make a few stops so that the prince could gather what was strengths he had left and rest a little. He was exhausted. As soon as the blond elf had laid down he had fallen asleep, leaving the task of taking his boots off to his friend.

After doing so, Ólion got out of the room. He closed the door behind him, laid back on it, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes to find blue ones staring right back into his. He would have jumped back in surprise if he could have but there was no room to do so behind him.

"_ How is he?" asked Nellil, coming closer. "Good?" she forced a smile on her delicate face. "BAD?" her smile disappeared. She grabbed his shirt and shook him him. No one would have suspected her to have so much strength: she almost ripped the fabric of his shirt with her strong hold.

"_ He is fi-i-i-i-i-ine!" said Ólion as he was being shook.

Reassured, she stopped shaking him but did not relax her grip on his shirt.

"_ Is he sleeping? Is he awake?"she spoke really fast, glancing at the door. "Can I see him? Can I see him?"

That said, without letting Ólion any time to answer, she released him, looked at him for less than a second then pushed him out of her way to run through the door, closing it behind her.

He had wanted to stop her so that Legolas wouldn't be troubled in his much needed rest but she had acted too quickly and spontaneously. All he had had the time to do was turning around right in time to see the door close itself. He sighed and turned back around to leave.

This time there was enough space for him to jump back in surprise. And by doing so, his head hit the door behind him. He brought a hand to where his head was hurting and asked coldly:

"_ What do you want, my Lady?"

"_ What is it with the attitude?" asked Únel. She gave him a condescending look. She didn't like being talked to on a judging or aggressive tone like this one.

"_ I know." he said, referring to the events that occurred in the forest between her and his friend.

"_ Oh." She looked down for a second. " We hadn't planned for that to happen. But I am not here to discuss it." she brought her eyes back on Ólion's. "How is he?"

"_ Good enough considering the concussion and the poisoning. He will back on his feet in three, maybe two days if he rests well." He put his hands on his hips and stood up straight.

"_ I see." she copied his posture to show she was not impressed. "Could you let me in so that I can see for myself?" she put a hand on the door nob to try to open the it, not minding that the other elf was in front of it.

"_ No. He is not alone." He blocked her hand. "His betrothed is with him, and you are neither allowed nor wanted there."

"_ I still need to get in." she insisted. "I'm here to sedate him so that he can sleep more profoundly and recover faster." she explained, taking the sedative plants our of her pocket to present them to the ellon.

"_ I don't think-Aouch" The door opened from behind him, hitting him on the head again.

"_ Ah!" screamed Nellil, surprised. "Únel!" she exclaimed. Nellil looked at the other elleth's hands and noticed what she was holding. "Is that the sedative I asked for the prince?"

"_Yes, I'm here to-"

Nellil didn't wait for the sentence to be finished and ceased the plants before energetically saying 'thank you' and going back inside the room, closing the locking the door behind her.

Únel was dumbfounded by the rudeness of the younger elleth. Weren't they friends now? How could she close the door at her nose like that, cutting her in her sentence, robbing her opportunity to be reassured about Legolas's health.

Seeing her face, Ólion laughed: for once, he wasn't the one looking like an idiot.

"_ L-let's get hahahahhaha som- hahaha something to eat." he difficultly proposed whiled laughing.

She nodded although she was not too please to be made fun of by a lazy low elf. He held his hand to be polite and let her walk in front of him.

In the kitchen, both of them talked for a long while. First, hey joked about the good old time, when Ólion struggled to cover for Legolas when he was on duty but ditched work to hang out with Únel. They also commented on how the prince used to be so intrepid, daring and reckless when he was younger. Then, they regretted the years when everything was so simple, when none of them had a profession and nothing much was expected from any of them. Finally, with all due respect, Ólion asked the green eyed elleth to stop playing with his friend's feelings. He explained in length how she was putting his sanity in danger by playing seductive games with him when he had a betrothed to charm, a father to impress and an Avari girl to tame. He pointed out that in addition to her being around, those were the reasons why Legolas lacked focus and ended up running in a tree during the day. She listened carefully but gave no answer. They finished eating in silence then returned to their respective posts: Únel in the infirmary and Ólion on watch.


	11. Chapter10: Everyone loves a wounded bird

**Chapter 10 :Everyone likes a wounded bird  
**

From the window of her high perched room, her shining blond hair running down her spine, all the way to her tiny waist, Nellil was observing attentively a large group of person gathered far away, around the training range. Ellith and ellyn, Avari and wood elves were mixing all together and slowly positioning themselves in perfectly ordered lines. When each and everyone of them were in place, no noise could be heard any more. Not even their breathing. They all stood still, in a resonating silence, waiting for orders.

Galdor and Alkien were standing away from the troops, actively discussing how things were to be organised. This supervised session of training was never meant to be. However, all the events of the two previous days taken in consideration, something had to be done. Neither one of the two Captains were thrilled about it but they were left no choice.

After a series of shared ideas, multiple frowns and scribbling on papers, Galdor and Alkien finally nodded to each other, having agreed on how to manage the newt few days of group training. One of them positioned himself on the far left of the discipled crowd, and the other stood on the far right.

"_ I am certain none of you wonder why we all are grouped here today instead of being scouting in the forest." started Galdor, scanning the soldiers with piercing eyes eyes. " You have ALL disappointed us."

Alkien repeated everything Galdor said in Avari tongue for the non-sindarin speakers. Once Galdor paused, Alkirn added:

"_ In all, 238 scouts were sent. 172 ended up wounded, and among them, most were wounded by their scouting partner." Once said in one tongue, he translated it in the other. "This is a DISGRACE!" he screamed. His voice echoed in all the soldiers ears, causing some of them to shiver. "It is unacceptable from trainees and should be reprehensible from warriors."

"_You," completed Galdor. "all need to learn to adapt fighting with one another **against the enemy** without hurting your allies in the process. Captain Alkien and I will NOT allow YOU to fail us when the time to fight comes because of disorganisation and cooperation problems."

All the soldiers' bodies tensed. Both Captains were angry and ashamed of their men. This training would not be spend in a merry and relaxed atmosphere. They would have to give it their all and to progress fast. It could have been another sweet autumn day: some people would have been scouting, most would have spent it simply hanging out with friends...but no. They all had to be there instead.

"_ Pair up with your scouting partner!" ordered Alkien. Every one obeyed and joined they partner quickly.

"_ Those whose partners are recovering from injuries, pair up together. One Avari with one wood elf." added Galdor.

The Captains met in the middle. Alkien turned towards the right side.

"_ You all are on free training today. It is not a day to rest. It is a day to train by yourselves before training under supervision. Make sure to make the best out of it. We will not babysit you for more than a week and after that, any pair with an elf wounded by their partner will be sanctioned." He warned in both tongues.

All the concerned soldiers dissolved in silence and in haste.

"_ You," Galdor turned towards the left side. " I want half of you to meet me in the shooting range to train with the bow. The rest will remain here with Captain Alkien and train with swords. You have ten minutes to decide what your tandem will be doing this morning. In five hours, you will switch activities. Any late pair will be sanctioned."

While the elves started to organize themselves, Galdor and Alkien watched them until they noticed what seemed to be two elves late for the gathering.

"_ What are you doing here?" the Captains said in unison, in their respective tongues, once they had identified the latecomers. Each of them was only addressing a different latecomer.

Sui blinked, confused as to why Galdor would talk to her with worry in his voice when they had never met.

"_ My unit was summoned," the voice came from behind her so she turned around, not answering to Alkien just yet. "I should be with them." said the blond elf, talking about the soldiers usually under his command.

Until now, Sui hadn't noticed that Legolas was behind her. He probably made sure she didn't hear him to avoided having to face her. She smiled to herself at the idea that the prince was too afraid to confront her despite the fact that their last dispute ended up in a draw since he could get her in almost as much trouble as she could get him. They both knew just enough about the other to destroy the stability in their lives.

"_ No, you should be in bed." grounded Galdor, frowning. "You look terrible." he commented looking at the prince up and down.

Legolas was pale and his posture showed that he rested all of his body's weight on only one side because his leg still hurt. _'He could faint at any moment.' _thought the elleth inspecting the Silvan while him and Galdor walked away to speak privately.

"_ You too should be resting." grumbled Alkien, bringing the Avari girl's attention back to him.

"_ I had enough sleep." she muttered, grimacing, not daring to at the giant's face. The night before, he had scolded her so severely because she had disobeyed him, again, that Albien's had to comfort her once his father was done. Alkien could be really cruel with words when pushed too far. But it was a fatherly gesture, not one of hate.

"_ There is nothing for you to do here today. Go back to the camp and lay down." calmly said the Captain.

"_ I should train too..." she insisted, finally meeting his eyes.

"_ Not with that arm." he contested.

"_ But it doesn't hurt!" she exclaimed.

"_ Sui!" he exhaled exasperated. She bit her lips in apprehension of what mean things he would come up with today. But instead of speaking, Alkien took a deep breath then stepped towards the girl to kiss her forehead before lowering himself down to her level. "Because it isn't painful doesn't justify making it worse. Now, if you don't want to go back to the camp, fine, you can watch them train." he smiled at her. " But, if you do anything reckless AGAIN, or reopen your wound, or get a second one, I will see that you are put to sleep for as long as it will take for it to heal completely." he raised his index to point at her. "I will sedate you myself if I have to. Do you understand?"

"_Yes!" she nodded, with a giant smile. She didn't have to stay in her tent all day, she could watch the other train, and Alkien didn't scold her today, yet: only things to be happy about. The day was starting pretty well for the young Avari elleth.

* * *

Sui sighed. Earlier she had been rejoicing too quickly. By "you can watch them train" she thought she would get to watch the soldiers fight, cross swords, hit each other. She thought she would get to see some action going on. But no. Alkien meant 'you can watch them train **AT the shooting range,** shooting arrows, not doing anything interesting at all'. So she he had been sitting there, for about 40 minutes, watching people throw arrows. She hated archery. She thought it was boring and not intimating enough of a fighting style : only people scared of close combat could want to learnt it.

She sighed again and let her body slide down the wall she was leaning against, throwing her head back and closing her eyes, wishing she had anything better to do.

"_ I do not mean to be rude, young lady, but you look rather pitiful right now." a voice stated. She opened her eyes. Galdor was standing in front of her, a mocking smile on his lips, hands resting on his hips. "Would you like to shoot a few arrows with the others instead of ….doing whatever it is you are doing?" he kindly offered.

"_ Thank you, but I am no good with a bow." she answered politely, slightly smiling, looking at him. "And Alkien basically forbade me to do anything." she added with a grimace.

"_ Well, Alkien is not around to see you now, is he?" he winked at her, grabbed one of the bows hanging from the wall and put it in her hands. "Just be careful, I do not wish to get in trouble with your Captain."

She stood up the bow was being pushed in her hands. Once she was holding it tight she opened her mouth to protest one last time. She really didn't care much about trying herself at archery again. And why did elders all had to send mixed signals about what to do or not to do? When one tells you not to do something, the other allows you to do it. Couldn't they all agree on one thing and stick to it? It would make everything so much easier for everyone. She hadn't produced a sound yet that Galdor was already screaming something.

"_ Ólion! Come here." he called. The younger elf ran to the Captain, wondering what he had wrong this time.

"_ Yes, Captain?" He hadn't noticed the elleth.

"_ Show the child how to use a bow.", he gestured towards Sui who was growing tired of being called a child and treated as such. "Make sure she doesn't hurt herself or you'll have to deal with two angry Captains." he threatened.

"_ Yes, Sir!" he acknowledged, then motioned for Sui to follow him.

* * *

When Sui had told him the bow wasn't her weapon, she hadn't lied. She barely knew how to hold it, and when she managed to positioned herself properly, she did not manage to aim any close the target. Her arrows went either to the wall or down on the floor. Clearly, his student would never achieve any prowess with a bow, but Ólion was still delighted to have her around. Not really because they got well along together, no, more because in the mean time he got to rest his tired arms, standing behind her, pretending that supervising her was hard work.

_'I really don't know why Legolas made such a fuss about surveilling her. She swears and barks a lot but as long as you don't provoke her, she doesn't bite. And she pays attention to what she does when asked nicely.' _he thought. Before immediately being proved wrong.

What she had just started to do was so inconceivable that he could not stop her neither with movements or words. He could only watch her do it, eyes round in panic and incomprehension .

In one hand she held the bow and with the other she was moving an arrow up and down, repetitively, cutting through the fabric of her shirt, slicing open the skin on on her back. The brown shirt was becoming darker around the now bleeding area.

After exactly 42 seconds of watching the abnormal spectacle, Ólion snatched the arrow out of her hand.

"_ By the Valar?!" he half screamed alarmed. "Why are you doing this?! Are trying you to get Galdor and I in trouble?"

She raised a brow. She looked around to make sure she hadn't hurt anyone nor broken anything that didn't belong to her. Assured that she did not do anything wrong, she threw a sceptical look at the elf.

"_ What are you talking about?", she squinted one eye.

"_ You're bleeding!" he exclaimed, pointing at her back. "You just cut your skin as if it was a cake!" He locked his eyes with hers and looked at her as though she was crazy. "You didn't even fringe!" He couldn't believe it.

Sui gesticulated around, trying to look at where her friend had pointed. She couldn't feel the wound, but she could see a stain somewhere around the middle of her back. Now that she thought about it, it was weird how the shirt felt wet and was sticking to her.

"_Argh!" she complained. "I never thought they were so sharp." she said glaring at the arrow as if to scare it away.

"_ WHAT, on middle earth, went through your mind for you to do such a thing?" asked Ólion. He was supposed to ensure the elleth wouldn't get a scratch or Galdor and, even scarier, Alkien would ensure he would get scratched.

"_ My back was itching too low so I scratched it." She pointed at the arrow "With that!" she explained.

"_ And you didn't feel like you were butchering yourself?!" his tone was ironic. She shook her head in all honesty. "Not at all?" he was curious, and doubting her. She shook her head again. "That's not possible." he insisted.

"_ Yes it is." she stated, shaking her shoulders.

He was confused, but convinced by the sincerity in her voice.

"_ Is that another Avari thing? Not being sensitive to pain?" he cocked his head to the side.

"_ No!" She rolled her eyes. "It's the simple and unfortunate result of an accident." she said. "Look I'll hide it okay? Alkien won't know about it, don't worry. I would be in as much trouble as you would if he finds out." She frowned at the idea.

"_What accident?" He coked his head to the other side and squinted both eyes. "What happened to you?" He was intrigued. What could have such a result as to deprive someone of pain?

"_ That's none of your business." She seized the the arrow Ólion had confiscated and prepared herself to shoot it. She missed the target, growled and prepared to try again. Before she could shoot, the wood elf put his hand on the top of her bow, applying pressure on it until she had to lower it and give him her attention.

"_ Is it related to the reason why you lied about your parents?" he questioned on a serious tone.

"_ No, I lied be cause I could. And was only half a lie."

"_ Then what is it about?" He saw her close on herself: she was ignoring him again and getting ready to shoot. "You know," he started " I am your only chance at a reconciliation with '_blondie_'."

"_ I don't want a reconciliation with him." she said uninterested before firing. The arrow met the ground.

"_ You don't want it, you need it." he affirmed.

"_ And why is that?" She raised the bow and fired gain. The arrow touched the white part of the target. She wasn't moved by her progress.

"_ Because he hates you and is in charge of your punishment. He **will** make it a hell while it lasts." he informed her.

"_ I would like to see him try." she said half amused.

"_ He talked about arranging for you to work in the kitchens once you recover." He saw her frown a brow, it meant she was buying it. " And until then, he thought you might adore being his Lady's companion. You know, walk around with her, make sure she has everything she needs and is well entertained."

Sui cursed under her breath. The reason why all of this was happening was Nellil. The Avari remembered perfectly how irritating it had been being around the blond elleth. She was a real princess: always demanding for services and never offering any. The idea of doing things herself probably never even crossed her mind. 'I want this!'; 'I would like that!'; 'That way would be better.' 'Actually I liked it better like it was before.'; 'You should to start over.' Nothing was good enough. And on top of that she never shut up. She constantly asked questions. When you answered one, it led to a second one, then a third, and another and another, and another...Sui hit her head with her left hand a few times, trying to silence the princess's voice echoing inside. Nope. She couldn't deal with her again. She thought he blue eyed elleth was deceiving, cunning, WICKED! She was evil in all its ingenuity: she worn people's bodies and souls out with kindness, sweet smiles and innocent inquiries to the point that her victims auto-sabotaged themselves like she was doing now.

"_ OKAY!" she screamed to shut the echo in her head once and for all. "I'll tell you everything! But you keep it to yourself! It's personal and I don't like being reminded about it."

He nodded.

* * *

**·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·**

* * *

The day's training had been interminable and violent. Group training was never fun; intensely supervised group training was even worse. Galdor the Tall was never one to go easy on people and with the Avari around he was stricter than ever. Most dark skinned elves used the bow in a peculiar way. First, they used smaller but denser bows with a thicker string and second, they held it horizontally. When holding a bow horizontally, you loose draw length, hence you loose power, not to mention that it is almost impossible to aim properly that way: it was a wonder how they didn't get string burned all the time and beyond normal how they actually hit the target right in the middle. As stringent as Galdor, Alkien made the close combat training a hell. He had everyone respectively tied up with strong chains on one side to their scouting partner, hand to hand, foot to foot, before having the pairs fight against one another, forcing the partners to coordinate their moves. Most wood elves fought with two short swords and used a lot of space and aerobatics while most Avari used only one heavy sword, that kept being thrown from one hand to the other depending on the attack to come, and almost danced using very little space while they fought.

All in all, it had been a physically painful day for Ólion, and it wasn't over yet. He still had to convince the prince, who in the end had been forced to spend the day in bed, to cut some slack and be pleasant to his little Avari friend to fulfil the deal he had made with her: if she lifted the mystery her physical condition, he would save her from the prince's wrath. So, sitting on branches in the wild, he had been talking to his childhood friend, taking all the needed time to explain how, while training her body endurance Sui overdosed on the poison she was trying to immune herself against, disrupting the development of small nerve fibers that carry sensations of pain, heat and cold to the brain.

"_ So...you're telling me that she doesn't feel physical pain?" asked Legolas sceptically. "As in NOT. AT. ALL?"

"_ Precisely, yes." confirmed Ólion.

"_ That is amazing!" he said envious. "She's lucky. My shoulder, my leg and my head are still killing me! I wish I could trade and be rid of all this unnecessary suffering!" complained the prince.

"_ No!" protested the slightly older elf. "You certainly don't want that burden!" he argued, sitting down to look at Legolas. "Her life must be a hell! There is a reason why bodies feel pain: to let you know of danger and illnesses. But if you have no sensation of it, someone could you burn you whilst you sleep but you wouldn't wake up!", he jerked his hands up in a sudden movement.

Legolas thought about it for a second.

"_ I am very tempted to try that on her, now." he joked.

"_ That, my friend, was not funny." Ólion used a surprisingly serious tone this time.

"_ Sorry." said the blond elf, switching to a sitting position. "I don't understand. How does her condition changes the fact that she lied to me." He frowned. "On a very delicate matter at that." he added.

"_ She only half lied." retorted the red headed elf. Legolas looked a little offended. His friend was defending a girl with behavioural issues. "Please don't look at me like that! Or at least hear me until the end before getting angry." asked Ólion. The prince granted that to his friend and relaxed his face. "I meant that she didn't lie about loosing-"

"_ Dolour?!" screamed the prince. "What a loss!" he ironically shouted, loosing his calm again. It was amazing how talking about people he didn't like worked him up.

"_ No!" yellled back Ólion. "Her identity." he corrected regaining his usual tone. " And I suspect a few friends too, but she wouldn't give any details on the subject." he completed.

"_ You lost me." Legolas admitted, confused by what he had just been told.

"_ Her family is extremely respected for their aptitude to endure all sorts of pain. This self control they are able develop over their physical envelope is what makes them very...'honourable' people." he explained.

"_ Not that nonsense about Avari and honour again, please!" whined the prince, tired of hearing about the strange tribe's pride.

"_ Honour is as important to them as partying is to your father." Ólion wanted to soften the atmosphere, to prevent his friend from walking out of the conversation. "They can live without it, but it makes them feel miserable and..." he search for the appropriate word. "Bipolar." he finished. "And, YOU, know more than any one that NO ONE wants to be anywhere near your father when he is moody."

Legolas nodded to the lazy elf's last sentence.

"_ So... You are telling me that since she has no honour I should be nicer?" summed up the Silvan.

"_ No!" he sighed. Ólion wondered if the prince was even listening at this point. "She has tons of it!" he exclaimed. "But only what she inherited from birth: her ancestors' and parent's legacy. The problem is that, on one part, she cannot identify with her family any more because she cannot walk in their steps. There is no pride in being resistant to pain if it doesn't challenges your body's limit. What leads to the other part: she cannot reconnect with the person she was nor with the person she wanted to be, and was supposed to become, because what made her that person is gone. Forever. She has to build herself a whole new prospective of life, rejecting the violent fighting culture of her tribe." He paused. " If Alkien does everything he can to keep her out of all the scouting and fighting it's not to punish her, it's because he is afraid of her suffering severe damages inside and abruptly die without anyone even knowing something was wrong with her. Not even herself." The lazy elf was dramatizing the whole story. Yes, her condition was preoccupying, but no, she didn't have any identification problem: she was 'Sui', that's all she had to know and cared about, but since every one likes a wounded bird, he would describe her as one.

"_ She still fights though." counter-argued the Silvan. "She even made beautiful blue bruises all over your arms, not so long ago, remember?" he teased, trying to change subject.

"_ Well, she hardly does anything she should be doing now, doesn't she? And at least now that I won the duel the wildling will never be disrespectful to **me**!". He stuck his tongue out at his friend. "On a more serious note, could you be more forgiving of her lunatic tendencies now that you know why she acts the way she does?"

The prince sighed. He wanted this talk to end.

"_ Why didn't she tell me that instead of lying?" he monotonously asked.

"_ Because she doesn't like to share, and obviously, that is sensitive subject."

"_ Opening up isn't my 'thing' either." said the blond elf. "Still, I almost let myself cry in fro-"

"_ You STILT DON't know her. Otherwise you would know she is good compassing. She is neither as funny or nice as Nellil is, nor is she as intriguing and smart as Unel, but she is nonetheless interesting and pleasant to talk to." cut Ólion. Legolas could act like a real high elf' sometimes, and he disliked those moments. The prince wasn't a condescending person, and didn't care much for titles but for some reasons he never fought hard to befriend people. They either went well along together from the beginning and ever after, or he gave up on getting to know them. But that is not how friendship works, and that is the reason why the younger elf had very few close friends although he knew many people, and was liked even more. "Also, you wear your emotions on your face." Legolas looked angrily at him. "Look, Legolas, you should stop all that non-sense. You just aren't that type of elf."

"_ What type of elf?" Legolas was surprised by the strange comment. He stood up and went to sit on the same branch his friend was sitting on.

"_The one who projects all of his accumulated anger and fears on a random person because they had the bad luck to commit one mistake around you when you were already on the edge of what ou could handle."

"_ I'm not project-"

"_ Yes you are!" accused the red head, cutting his friend in the process, again. " Many people have lied to you and you forgave them. But suddenly, you are making a random elfling's insignificant lie to you a bigger issue than it is." clarified Ólion. The prince wanted to argue but couldn't: all Ólion had just said was true. He didn't really care that someone he only knows from name lied to him. It was just that it had happened at the wrong moment; it was the one too much deception he could take at the time, no matter how small it was. He lowered his head, slightly ashamed by his behaviour. "I understand." reassured Ólion. " She made you doubt yourself for a moment. And If you can't have a simple child to bend to your authority, how can you keep claiming a place at the council or convince the King, or even yourself, that you deserve it." Ólion put a hand on his friend's shoulder in a friendly manner.

There was a pause.

"_ Why are you doing this?" questioned the prince. "And how did you get her to tell you all this?" he asked, finding it suspicious that the girl would share so much with Ólion while being sober when drunk, all he got her to do was to close up and lie.

"_ The answer to both question is-" he hesitated a second "because she is my friend. And I would appreciate to hang out with the two people, who's company I enjoy the most, at the same time." he explained.

"_ You're lying!" accused Legolas intrigued by what his friend was trying to hide. "Your two 'favourite people' are Gilion, because he gives you alcohol, and Aelrindel who cooks for you! Now, what's the real reason?"

Ólion laughed.

"_ I do want to hang out with you both." he repeated. "But I also would very much like to see her green eyed friend more. And I don't want her to hate me by association, because my best friend is a '_dwarf orc'_ to her est frendb." he admitted, using some of the Avari words she taught him.

"_ You, my friend, are selfish! What about MY pride?!" joked the prince. "Why did she share so much with you?"

"_ I forced her to... I lied to her..."

"_ What?!" shouted the blond elf. The guerilla started because of a lie, Ólion knew it, and he tried to solve it with another one.

"_ Think about it! It's only fair!" started the red head. "She lied to you, I lied to her. The two of you are even now." he smirked. "I got revenge for you!" he laughed. "Will you go easy on her now, please?" implored Ólion.

"_ I can't promise anything." said Legolas on a teasing tone. "I will try to think about it." he added, looking away, pretending he hadn't already made his mind on the subject.


	12. Chapter 11: Everything starts now

**Chapter 11: Everything starts now**

**So, just letting you know that the story actually really just starts from now on! All the relationship sill evolve **

* * *

"_ What are you doing here?" yawned Sui.

The elleth was laying on her mattress like a starfish since the night before, only half awake. Alkien had found out about her cuts in the back and, like he promised, he made sure she would not be able to get out of her bed thanks to a good lot of horehound dissimulated in her tea.

It was now late in the morning, almost noon, and Ólion had appeared out of nowhere in her tent.

"_ I'm here to check on you." said Ólion as if it was obvious. She raised a brow out of disbelief. "It's my fault you're not out doing...whatever it is you usually do. So yes, I am here to make sure you are doing well!" he insisted.

"_ Are you sure you aren't here to ask me about Mhéléane?" She smirked. His intentions were surely good and touching but definitely not uninterested. They weren't so close that he would go through the whole Avari camp just to make sure she was fairing well when all she had were almost fully healed cuts.

Ólion returned her smirk and nodded, before laying down besides her. By making her think he was helping her, he had of course hoped she would help him in return.

"_ I put in a few good words for you to Legolas." He stretched. " All you have to do now is to apologize personally and aaaaaaaaaaall will be forgiven."

"_ So... prince-face won't have me be his fiancée's maid again?" she asked dubiously.

"_ You know, to be honest, I don't think he could ever come up with such an idea." He turned around in the mattress to lay on his side and face her. "Nor actually dare to do that to you. I think you scare him quite a bit". He chuckled a little picturing his best friend confronting the girl again.

"_ So you **lied** to me!?"she screamed before pinching Ólion's arm so hard his skin turned blue.

"_ Ouch!" he groaned. " Yes, I lied!" he admitted. " But you, Avari, don't give us any sort of information about anything. We have to force it all out of you." he complained.

Sui didn't answer. What was there to answer? It was true. They had all been ordered not to talk about the reason why they came here. It had to be discussed with the King first, when the time would come. Subsequently most of them closed up about everything, afraid that if they befriended wood elves, they would drop some secrets here and there. Still, quite a few -too much in the elleth's opinion- seemed to have found their other half among wood elves already. 'Love doesn't care about time' one of them told her when she had asked him how he could have fallen for someone he hadn't even known for more than a week yet.

"_ What did you tell 'his highness' to get me back on his bright side?" she finally ask.

"_ Exactly everything you told me not to say," he said grimacing " with a little extra drama!" He grinned.

"_ So, basically, you lied to someone who is angry because he has been lied to?" She spoke slowly, articulating every syllable to emphasized the absurdity of it all. Ólion nodded with a proud smile on his face. "You're a genius!" She burst out in laughter.

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Fully healed, but still sore from the poisoning, Legolas decided to take the day off of all of his obligations in order to rest and be fresh for the party. Being careful to avoid every one, and especially his father, so that no one would ask him anything, he snuggled in the kitchen by the back to get himself one of the pie meant for the party. He could smell all of the delicious recipes from his room and it has been a torture for two days to know about those delicious creations and not be able to touch it. He wanted one, and he was going to get one. Who would notice one missing pie, anyway?

The blond elf tiptoed his way to the shelves, grabbed a plate, turned around to run away like a bugler only to be grabbed by the collar and pushed against a wall. He dropped the pie.

"_ You're a hard elf to find my lord." Unel's body was close to his. Very close. So close in fact that their chest were touching and her breath was gently caressing his neck every time she breathed out. "Or perhaps, were you avoiding me?" she jokingly accused.

Legolas became pale. "Were you actually avoiding me?" She took her hands off him, offended by what she had just found out.

"_ No, I wasn't!" he exclaimed. "I have just bee-"

"_ You're a terrible liar." she cut him. "I don't buy it for second."

"_ Okay... I **was** avoiding you." he admitted. "I'm sorry."

"_ Very well then I guess I should leave you to yourself." Unel was not the kind to let an elf get her spirit down, but having someone trying to keep away from her was a first. It hurt, and it was unjustified: she had only ever been affectionate and devoted to him. She put some distance between them. She would rather leave now with dignity than stain her honour by begging him for an explanation. If he had any common sense or cared for her, he would apologize better than that, and fast.

"_ No, please, don't be angry." He grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him again. " It is just that...since I am betrothed, I can't-"

"_ You have been betrothed from birth. It didn't use to be a problem before I leave for Rivendell..." She didn't pull back but stayed stiff as if not wanting to be touched by him.

"_ And it wasn't...but you left about a thousand years ago." he explained. "During that time, many things changed between Nellil and I."

"_ What about 'things' between us? Did they change too?"

She was stubborn and he wasn't in the mood for a fight. Today, he wanted peace. He didn't have the strength for a confrontation like this one and didn't want to lie.

"_ I thought they had changed. And now, you are back in Eryn Lasgalen. I see you and...I have feelings for you...and I have feelings for Nellil...I-I ...Idon't even know what to say. I don't know what I want any more..."

Worked out by the question and confused as to what his feelings were for the ellith, he released Unel to bring his hands to his face. He was slightly disoriented and his breathing was becoming heavier. It was like the poison was still having some effect on him, although, there wasn't enough left in his body to affect him, now.

Noting that due to her questions the prince was showing the first symptoms of a panic attack, Unel resolved to let go of the matter for now, and distract him so that he would regain his cool.

"_ Legolas, calm down. Do not worry about it so much. I wouldn't want it to distract you so much you would fall from another tree." she teased, playfully pushing his shoulder.

The joke managed to make him laugh a little. Legolas could feel air going through his lungs again. He could also feel embarrassment from being reminded about the incident.

In a pathetic attempt at revenge for being made fun of, Legolas started to tickle Unel. Her laugh was very feminine and mixed with pleads for him to stop, which encouraged him to keep going. With Nellil he couldn't act that way: she would always try her best to avoid being touched before eventually giving in. He didn't like to make her uncomfortable and having to insist to get a simple caress felt wrong most of the time. It was a nice change be in contact with someone who welcomed his touch so openly.

Since she gesticulated a lot because of the tickling, Unel ended up walking back until she met a wall and couldn't move away any more. The prince, fully aware that he had trapped his pray, slowed his tickling motion then changed it into caresses. Unel didn't try to escape him any more. As he unhurriedly ran his hands from her waist, to her chest then wrapped them softly around her face, she gently put hers on his torso, waiting for him to kiss her. But he didn't. He just stared into her eyes, with lust filling his.

"_ Will you not kiss me, my Lord?" she asked him on a sensual tone, hopping he would make a move.

"_ No." he said on a serious tone. He grinned. "Not yet."

Legolas plunged his face in her neck, not kissing it, just lightly brushing her skin with his lips. He could feel her getting more impatient by the second: every time she felt his breath on her neck, she tensed her grip on his tunic.

The blond elf suddenly brought his hands back to her waist and pulled her closer to him, so that their bodies touched. A the same time, he lifted his head to look at her face again. He brought his lips extremely close to hers but didn't press them together.

"_ Legolas, kiss me. Now." her voice was low and cracked from longing.

He ignored her order and lowered his gaze to her chest. He was undoing the laces on the front of her dress, to have her wait some more.

Incapable of keeping her composure any longer, Unel put her hands around the prince's face and kissed him passionately. Proud of the effect he had on the elleth, he smiled while their lips pressed together.

Legolas was now holding her face with his hands to kiss her. She used hers to caress his torso under his tunic. His white skin was as smooth as she remembered and his abdomen contracted under her touch.

The feeling of Unel's hands exploring his body increased his blood pressure. His body felt warmer than usual and his desire to rub his body against someone else's was quickly rising out of control in chest.

He pulled away to attack her neck. When his lips met her skin, he heard a loud noise coming from the front kitchen. Cooks. They were back. He pulled away from his mistress in less than a second and walked back until he met a wall. When Legolas let go of her, Unel turned around and started to lace back her dress.

The cooks hadn't seen them, yet, since they were in the back kitchen, hidden by a wall. Still, the two elves looked at each other alarmed: they had almost been caught in a very compromising position. If the king was to hear about what had just happened, he would probably have Unel sent far away and Nellil would cry until not a single drop of water would be left in her body.

Not wanting to inspire doubts about the nature of her relationship with prince, the green eyed elleth motioned to the prince to leave by the back door. To show that he appreciated her discretion he took her hand for a second, smiled at her then ran out.

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Not caring if he was violating Sui's privacy, Alkien entered her tent without announcing himself first. Once inside, finding an non-welcomed surprise, Alkien furrowed his brows.

"___Who are you?_"_ his voice was grave. The fact that he was not pleased to see an elf laying in his -almost- daughter's bed was obvious.

The two friends hadn't heard Alkien, nor Albien, enter. Hearing the grounding and angry voice of Alkien caused Ólion to get out of the bed in a jump. The redhead felt as thought he had been caught doing something 'forbidden' when Sui and him had only been talking. There wasn't a single drop of romance in their relationship, yet this situation was awfully awkward and embarrassing.

"_ My name is Ólion, sir!" he said, doing the Sindar military salute to greet the captain.

"_ Are you the elf who cut open her arm in a duel?"

"_ Yes, I am." Ólion looked at the floor in shame "I'm sorry, Captain. It was an accident. I never meant to hur-"

"_ I certainly hope it wasn't an accident." cut the Captain. "If you feel sorry to wound your adversary, you should consider trading your soldier costume for another one." Ólion nodded. "Now get out of here!" ordered the Captain.

"__ Are you here to check on my arm too?"_ Asked Sui, still comfortably laying on the bed. She had gotten used to Alkien, and Albien barging in her tent without warning for a reason or another.

"_ _For that and one other thing_." Said the Giant, still thinking about how inappropriate it was that Ólion had been alone with Sui in a tent for not even the Valar knows why nor how long. _"Albien, please have a look at her wounds."_

Albien passed his father on the side and sat down on the elleth's mattress. Too lazy to sit up, she rolled closer to him and held her arm up for him to have a look at.

"__ What's the other thing?"_ questioned the girl."_ No wait,_" she interrupted before the Captain could answer. _"Is it good news or bad news? I mean, do I want to kno-_"

"__ Calm down!"_ ordered Alkien, to shut her up. "_I came here to tell you in person that, I think, it is time for you to begin a personal trainee-ship."_

Hearing the good news, Sui moved to sitting position so quickly that she hit Albien's head with hers. Rubbing her forehead with her good arm and a smile parting her face in two, she asked:

"_ _Are you actually telling me that I can join the committee? That I can assist to your secret reunions with The Colossal and be part of the people who decide-?"_

"_ _You won't be deciding anything._" warned Alkien. Sui's smile dropped a little. "_You will only give your opinion when asked to. And I don't want you calling Geldrick that."_

Proud of his sister, Albien gave her a tap on the back, and a warm smile on his face. But his reaction only awakened suspicion in the ellerth's mind. Alkien had expressed his mind on the subject many times before: he didn't think she had it in her to become a Captain one day, so there was no point in training her. And Albien...Albien was over protective and did every thing possible to keep her out of harm and this formation implied a lot of fighting. If he had had his father's approval he would have kicked Ólion's ass after he had injured her.

_'What are they both up to?_' she wondered.

"__ I thought that since I was nit of age yet..._" she started, "_I mean...You said I wasn't mature nor strong enough to train to become Captain._" She made it obvious she was suspecting they were trying to trick her. "_Besides, you already are training Albien. Why would you want train me too when you don't have to, nor actually want to- or did not want to a few days ago?_

"__ You are right, I don't think you are not tailored to become Captain._" confirmed Alkien. "_Albien is the one who talked me into it._" Sui turned her face around try and look at Albien who was now checking the cuts on her back. "_He thinks you act like a child not because you are one, but because you are treated like one. So from now on, I will see that you are regarded as an adult by every on_e."

"_ _Does all that mean that my sanction is over?_" She squinted her eyes, and crossed her fingers. She might not have to see the arrogant prince's face any more.

"_ _No._" The Captain's answer was sharp and immediate.

"__ Oh..._" she answered, disappointed.

"_ _I thought you would be happier than that not having to spy on us any more when we meet._" cheered Albien, applying a disinfectant paste on the girl's back.

"_ _You know about that?!_" she turned her head in a brusque movement.

"_ _Everybody knows about that_." said Albien.

"__ You breathe so heavily it is a wonder how you survived in FellSvogee_." added Alkien. Sui growled.

"_ _Your arm is all good. By tomorrow both wounds will be completely closed and the day after there won't even be a scar left._" He playfully passed his hand through her hair, shaking it to tease her. She pushed him away with a hand. Alkien rolled his eyes. '_You put the smart one near the dumb one hoping it will help but only idiotism is contagious._' The Captain smiled interiorly: it warmed his heart to see how fond of each other they grew despite how different they are.

"_ _Kids,_" he interrupted. "_We are meeting tomorrow night, two hours before the king's party. I expect you there, and on time._" Not waiting for an answer, Alkien left.

"__ We'll be there!_" screamed Sui, hoping he had heard.

* * *

**IMPORTANT! After this chapter I won't be able to upload anything for about a month because I'm moving to another country and won't have any access to the internet for a while. But I'll keep writing and I'll submit everything I should have at once as soon as I can.**


	13. Chapter 12: Old Foes always come back

**Chapter 12: Old foes always come back  
**

Sui was growing impatient. She had been standing there for for exactly 37 minutes and 56 seconds, listening to Alkien, Albien and Geldrick argue for a yes or a no. The three older elves made it clear when she arrived that she was only asked to be present, not actually expected nor allowed to take part in the debate nor give her opinion at any point. According to Geldrick, by listening to them, she would learn how to separate important information from futile ones and according to Alkien, she didn't posses any information they didn't already have so listening to her would only be a waste of time.

The elves were having a serious debate about the orcs. The vile creatures seemed to be more numerous than they had anticipated. Also, they proved to be a lot more organized and creative in their attacking tactics than they had ever been before: during the scouting, before the general training, they succeeded on making many victims. No one had died, but some came really close to it. And even more peculiar, only two orcs were actually seen, the rest stayed hidden.

Unnerved that they didn't let her place a word, Sui violently threw her arguments on the table. Literally.

"_ _Arrows?_" said Albien, thinking the girl was only trying to disrupt the discussion because she couldn't take part in it.

"_ _How dare you interrupt! This isn't a joke, we aren't here to-_"

"__ Look at them closer!_" she screamed, angry, interrupting the Colossal, pointing at the two arrows she just threw on the table. She couldn't believe they thought she would interfere if she had nothing relevant to say.

"__ They're different_." noted Albien, picking one them up. "_This one is ours_." He put it further away and piked the other one up. "_And this one was made by wood elves, if I'm not mistaking_."

"_ _What a waste of time_." Alkien's tone was sharp.

"__ No, it's not! Trust me!_" The elleth reached for her bag and took another arrow out of it. " _Now look at this one._" She put it in Alkien's hands. Not even giving it a glance, he passed it to his son. Albien examined it for a few seconds then put it down on the table, with the two first arrows.

"_ _It is orc made._" said the Captain's son.

"_ _No, it isn't_." retorted Sui, on a grave tone. "_Look closer._"

Albien picked it up again, analysed the sharp tip, turned it around and studied the other end. A microscopic symbol caught his eyes. Almost as soon as he noticed it, his face went pale, and his mouth dropped open.

"_ _What is going on?_" asked the Colossal, taking the arrow out Albien's hands.

"_ _This arrow isn't orcs's. It is Hwenti* made._" said the elleth. Alkien's opened his eyes wide. "_They engraved their symbol on it, in small, on the tail. _" She pointed at it. "_They just made it look like an orcish arrow."_

"_ _Where did you get that arrow?_" asked Alkien. Everything was clearer now. The reason why almost no orcs were seen, why arrows were used more than swords, and why they were so well organised. Orcs wren't attacking them, Hwedi (another Avari tribe) were ; an enemy Avari tribe. Hwendi and Kinn-lai have been fighting in FellSogee ever since they settled down there, away from the rest of the world. The two tribes grew very wild and more hostile towards each other every single day they spent in the underground forest. The last couple hundreds of years, in addition to their ever lasting war, both tribe had been facing a new challenge: the collapse of FellSvogee. The cave was falling apart: rocks bigger than Geldrick fell from the roof and killed elves every day. It was only a question of months, or maybe a year or two, until the whole cave subsided.

Knowing Avari weren't popular among other elves, Kinn-lai (Sui's tribe) were quick to react: they decided to reveal their existence and to be as friendly as they could in order to be accepted and eventually be given a place to settle down in the outside world and some help to retrieve the rest of the Kinn-lai still in FellSvogee.

"__ I took it at the infirmary._" she started, " _It's the arrow the prince was shot with. I got suspicious when I saw how the prince was affected by the poison. Orc poison is meant to kill and still have really strong effect once extracted. But the prince..." _she tilted her head to the side "H_e only had a headache and balance issues. Since Hwendi poison strongly disorient in order to make the victim weaker...well I suspected the arrow could be theirs._"

"__ Could orcs and Hwendi be teaming up against us?_" asked Albien.

"_ _No, I doubt it._" answered the Captain calmly. "_They are only using orcs as a cover to attack without being noticed._"

"_ _Why would they come all the way here?_" Geldrick was having a hard time believing all this was happening.

"_ _Probably for the same reason we did. And Eryn Lasgalen is the closest elven forest from home._" Alkien pulled back his hair.

"_ _Why are they attacking then? Could it be because we came here first?_" questioned Albien.

"_ _They aren't that petty_." Alkien paused for moment. "_I don't know what their purpose is but... they will also be out of a home too, soon. So, I am guessing that they want this forest for themselves. And having found us here.._." He sighed "_They won't go easy on the wood elves because we are staying here_."

"_ _Wait! When you say staying here, you mean it as in for the time being, right? We are not merging in with the wood elves, are we?_" asked Sui.

"_ _The situation in Fell' must have gotten worse if the Hwendi are here.._." said Alben, worried about his mother and the rest of his friends still there.

"_ _Don't worry boy, the queen would have sent us a messenger if things were that bad_." reassured Geldrick.

"_ _Maybe she did. And maybe he was caught and killed by the Hwendi._" retorted Sui with a trembling voice. Albien put a hand on her shoulder and brought her close to him. Her whole family was there and she hadn't had any news from them ever since the troop left home, about three months ago.

"__ Let's stop the speculations here._" interrupted the giant. " _I will go talk to King Thranduil now and we'll decide on what to do together. You can all retire and get ready for the party tonight._"

Geldrick bowed and left. The elf was always more formal than needed with his Captain. Albien and Sui made their way to the tent door but Alkien stopped them.

"_ _Sui, I am proud of you._" he said. Then with a smile, he did the Avari military salute to her, a great mark of respect, but with only one hand since he is her superior.

* * *

***Acording to Tolkien Gateaway, Avari is a name of elf tribe that is divided in six group. Kinn-laï and Hwenti are part of them***

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"_ LEGOLAS!" The elleth threw herself in his arms.

The elf's was trying to return to his room after a long and annoying argument his father about why he refused to wear matching robes -or a simply a robe for that matter- to go to the party.

"_ Nellil, what is going on?" Are you all right?"

"_ No I am not!" she half cried, shaking her head against his chest.

"_ What happened?" He wrapped his arms around her. She enjoyed the embrace for a small while then pulled back a little to see his face.

"_ The party will start soon and I don't fit in my dress any more!" She held the dress up for him to see. "I think I ate too much cake these past few days..." Hearing this, the elf chuckled. "Legolas! This isn't funny!" She pouted and hit his arm.

"_ My lady, this is not the dress my father had made for you." She looked confused. "This," he took the dress "is the dress I had made for Galdor's niece on his order. She is still a little elfling.". He laughed while Nellil realising her mistake blushed and ran away.

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On the castle's roof terrace, harpist were charming the crowd with transcendent music, the waiters were busy serving wine and delicacies and both Avari and wood elves joyfully danced together. Legolas and Ólion had just made their entrance but people were already stopping them almost each time they took a step in order to talk to their beloved prince. In the middle of the amassed number of people welcoming Legolas, Sui was kicking and biting to make her way to him. She wanted to apologize quickly and forget about all this as fast as possible.

The prince was doing his best to keep smiling but seeing Sui's head emerge from the group that was harassing him made him grimace.

The girl handed something to him. Some sort of paper, perhaps a manuscript.

"_Take this." said the girl.

Legolas took a small step back.

"_ I don't want anything from yo-"

"_ Yes, you do. Trust me." she cut him and pushed it against his chest before letting go of the paper leaving the elf no choice but to grab so that it wouldn't fell on the floor.

Without looking at it, he rolled it and pushed his way through the crowd to find a place to sit.

Sitting at the main table, the party King, Alkien and Galdor talked merrily while Gilion and Geldrick engaged in a drinking contest. On another table Mhélir, Albien and Sui were still eating when Mhéléane joined them and hit the table with her hands, making her brother drop the fruit he was eating.

"_ _SUI! Have you seeeeen their king!_" Her eyes were wide and she was smiling like an Avari child who had been given her first weapon.

Sui chuckled. She knew why Mhéléane was so exited: she had,indeed, seen what the king looked like.

"__ I know right? He is nothing like his son!_" she joked.

Albien sent a confused look to Mhélir who seemed to understand what was going on.

"__ They think King Thranduil is good looking."_ explained Mhélir. Albien rolled his eyes and shook his head: did they really had nothing better to talk about?

"__ 'Good looking'?"_ repeated Mhéléane on a disapproving tone.

"__ He is NOT 'good looking', he is GORGEOUS!" completed Sui. "Just look at him!" S_he turned her head to look in his direction and all the others did the same.

"__ His hair,"_ started Mhéléane._ "his eyes, his lips, his body! PERFECT! Everything is perfect!"_

Mhélir and Albien exchanged a desperate look.

"__ Mhéléane!"_ Sui stood up. _"I challenge you!"_

"__ Not again!"_complained Mhélir.

"__ This is not going to end well."_ said Albien stroking the side of his head.

Ignoring him, the two ellith continued:

"__ What's the challenge?"_ asked the younger girl.

"__ The first one to get to touch him, in any way, wins." _Sui smirked. She loved challenges. Especially when she fixated the rules: it made them easier for her to win.

"__ Challenge accepted!"_ exclaimed Mhéléane before sitting down while Sui swallowed the rest of alcohol left in her glass at once before standing up and making her way to the king's table, leaving her three friends wondering what was her plan.

Once at the king's table, not caring that she was interrupting a conversation, Sui sat on Alkien's laps. The three sober elves stared at her, not sure about what the girl was doing.

She opened her mouth but not knowing what to say she closed it right away. Not waiting for the girl to do or say something he will have to apologize for, with gesture of the hand, Alkien signalled to Albien to get him rid of Sui. Albien did it discretely: he walked up to the King's table, apologized for the intrusion, picked the girl up and carried her away on his shoulder.

"_ Forgive her, she is not quite right in the head." offered Alkien.

"_ Is she your daughter?" asked the King.

"_ No, she isn't" He turned his head round to look at the girl who was being scolded by Albien. "Although, I think of her as such."

"_ Thranduil," started Galdor. "the girl," He pointed at Sui. "she is the one who keeps your son so occupied he has to change his shifts on the wall and still manages to be late."

Thranduil lost his composure and dropped the glass of wine he was holding. He put both his hands on the table, turned his head to the left to look at Galdor with shocked eyes then turned his head to the right to look at Alkien with piercing angry eyes, waiting for an explanation.

"_ Do not worry, my king," said Alkien, amused by the situation. " they are not having an affair. They despise each other." The king finally breathed out and relaxed. He picked his glass up and filled it wine. "And Galdor, the girl will be busy from now on so the prince will not have any excuses to justify his lateness."

"_ Are you hanging her sanction?" asked Galdor.

"_ No, but I am shortening it As a reward for noticing the arrow is Hwendi." answered the Avari Captain.

The king looked at the girl from affar.

"_ It seems she is a keen elfling after all" commented the king.

"_ Look at her!" exclaimed Ólion. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

"_ She looks like a younger female version of Mhélir..." answered the prince, looking at Mhéléane from the dark corner where he was sitting in order to avoid attention. He didn't like parties very much: too many people, too many drunk people and too many drunk people who tried to get him to dance. It's not that he didn't enjoy dancing, he simply wasn't good at it. Plus, once he agreed to dance with one elleth, al the other ellith found their courage and asked for him to make them dance too. Not wanting to disappointed any one, he complied and ended up dancing himself to exhaustion.

"_ They're siblings, it is normal."

"_ Honestly, could you kiss her and not think it is Mhélir that you are kissing?"

Ólion took his eyes off Mhéléane to look at his friend. Disgust was showing on his face.

"_ Sometimes, I worry about your imagination Legolas."

"_ I can't believe it!" half screamed the prince. He stood up straight in his chair, a shocked look on his face.

"_ What?" Ólion was confused at Legolas' sudden burst out of lethargic state.

"_ Look! The pest and Mhélir!" He pointed at them "They're leaving and he is holding her by the waist."

"_ HAHAHAHA!" Ólion pat the prince's back. "Tonight, your future wife is ignoring you, the woman you desire you can't touch and the one you dislike is about to have sex." He laughed. "This is karma Legolas, you better make things right in your life if you don't want it to get worse."

Irritated by the whole situation, the blond elf brought his head to the table. His forehead still on the table he opened his eyes and saw his mother's face, what made him jump on both his feet. Ólion was too focused on Mhéléane to witness his friend's agitation.

Breathing heavily the prince stared at the his mother's face on the table. The paper he had rolled up and not looked at had unrolled itself and had been laying flat on the table without him noticing it. The drawing had obviously not been made by a professional but was good enough for him to recognize his mother. On the top right corner, a note saying "You overreacted but I might have too. So we're square." was written. He chose to ignore it and stared at the portrait instead. Some traits were exaggerated and the nose wasn't quite the same as on the portraits present in his father's room but the warmth in her eyes was exactly as he remembered it.

It was all very disturbing. He stared at the drawing a few more seconds, picked it up, folded it, put it in his pocket then gulped down his cup of wine. He wanted someone to hold him. Tight. He could ask Nellil but she was busy dancing with a half shaved Avari wiith curly hair and seemed to be having too much fun for him to disturb her at the moment. He could look for comfort from his father...but he rather not. It was out of question to hug Ólion.

Just as he realised that there was no one by who he wanted to be seen vulnerable by, he saw Unel leave the party. _'Good. A distraction.'_ he thought as he put his cup back on the table and walked after the elleth who was leaving.

The corridor was dark. All he could see was Unel's slender shape slowly melting in the shadows. He kept following her until he heard it. He heard that voice, the one that **sent chills down his spin**. Then he heard that other voice, the one that meant **danger** to him. '_Elrohir, Elladan...No! Why are they already here?!'_


	14. Chapter 13: Alliances

**Chapter 13: Misfits and alliances**

Today is Ólion's and Legolas's second day of intense training. After having perfectly fired a 57 arrows, Galdor told Legolas to join Alkien's group were the training would be more be of more use to him. With no partner to fight with, since Mhélirhad been paired with someone else due to his incapacity to fight on the first day of training, Alkien told Legolas to sit aside until someone gets injured leaving an elf without partner. The prince sat down not too far away to look at the soldiers fight.

On observation, near Alkien, stood Sui. Her legs were shaking with excitement. All the action was agitating her and Alkien could feel that if he didn't send her away soon, she would jump on someone, any one, and hit them until they would turn into elf jam.

"_ Legolas," started the Captain as he put a hand on Sui's shoulder. " The girl will help you warm up." He pushed her towards the prince. She held a grimace inside and didn't open her mouth to complain since she was on duty.

Without a word she walked past him and he followed her. She led him to the armoury. Once inside, the girl searched for something in a box that the blond elf had never seen there before. While she was looking for whatever it was she was looking for, the prince thought he would ask something that bothered him when he was looking at the others train.

" _ Why was every one's wrists and ankles chained?"

" _ _Well, good morning to you too_." she told herself. " It is an Avari intense training to teach how to use a maximum strength in a minimum of surface when surrounded by allies and enemies." she answered on an uninterested tone.

She stood up straight and made her way to him with what looked like metallic bracelets. From the way she was holding them, he could tell they were heavy. Once she was close enough to him, she put 3 of them down and squatted to tie the forth one around his left ankle.

"_ Thank you for the drawing." said the prince, on a monotonous tone, while the girl was taking care of his second ankle.

She stood up, holding a bracelet. Understanding it was meant for his wrist, he held his arm to her.

"_ Your welcome." She bent down to take the last bracelet. "Are we good now?"

"_ No." he answered on a calm tone.

Surprised, the girl dropped the bracelet.

"__ What?_"

"_ I will only forgive your offences on the one condition that you help me with something." He had planned this from the moment he had heard Rivendell's twins voices in the corridor the night before. How better to fight fire than with fire?

"_ What?" she repeated in sindarin this time. This was not how things were supposed to go. She would have to talk about this to Ólion. She felt rage building inside her but tried to refrain its growth: Alkien gave her the chance to be considered like a responsible adult, so she would act like one.

"_ I want you to prank Rivendell's princes. I want to get back at them for all the things they did to me and for all the things they plan to do to me in the furture."

"_ You want me," she spoke very slowly. "to prank Elladan and Elrohir?"

He was surprised that she knew their names.

"_ Do you know them?"

"_ I don't know them personally but...we halted in Rivendell on our way here. They were very few people left there but they all had plenty to say about both of them." She paused. " What did they do to you that is so bad that you would come to me for help to get revenge on them?"

"_ They torture me every time we meet. They humiliate me." He looked away for a second. "The first time they came to Greenwood, when we were very young elfling they convinced me I was a she-elf, later, they used berries and powders to die my hair with rainbow colours. Another time, they glued my crown to my head. They also stuffed my boots with jelly several times and...they stole my first kiss."

"_ Is that all?" She didn't understand why the elf was so worked out about it all. Those were just funny pranks that didn't hurt any one. "It is nothing that bad. And you know, the first kiss isn't anything important." She bent down to pick up the bracelet she had dropped.

"_ It is for me. Or at least it was, at the time." He held his last free limb to her.

"_ Well, it's not like they stole your virginity." she joked. The prince's muscles tensed as he tried hard to control his wild imagination in order to NOT picture that in his head. If he did, it would haunt him forever.

Seeing that the elf when pale and had a serious expression on his face Sui was quick to come to a conclusion. " No need to stop breathing. Every one is free to experience." she told raised a brow, not sure if he understood well what she meant. "I know other elves who enjoy the pleasure of both ellith and ellyn bodies. The real questions here are: did you have them both? And if you did, was it at the same time?"

Legolas grimaced.

"_ I did **NOT** have sex with them." he said annoyed.

"__ Ah._" said Sui, disappointed. " Try to punch and kick a dummy, now." She moved out of his way. "Are you still a virgin then?"

The silvan stopped walking.

"_ That is none of your business!" he exclaimed, embarrassed by the question. She shrugged. Thinking she was done asking personal questions, he focused on training and started kicking the dummy. It was harder than he thought it would be. The bracelets were burdensome: they considerably slowed his movements, making them less efficient than usual.

"_ So old and you never had sex...I'm not surprised though." she told herself loud enough for the prince to hear. "You're missing on so many good things... like oral sex, tying someone up, fantastic orgasms-"

"_ And you obviously had sex way too many times for someone this young. Just as I thought." She had succeeded on distracting him too much to continue what he was doing.

"_ I am no prude." she said smirking. " Get back in position." she said firmly. He complied without even realising he had just obeyed to an order given by her. She walked up to stand behind him and started correcting his position. "So, should I understand that you thought about me having sex?" she teased at the same time as she put her hands on his waist to turn it to the right angle.

"_ We are drifting away from the subject!" he complained, his ears turning red. The Avari elleth gave a weak kick in the leg he bent in front in order to see how well he could hold the position.

"_ Was that a yes?"

"_ No!" he truthfully answered right away.

"_ Are you a virgin?" she asked as fast as he had answered her previous question.

Legolas dropped his position to stand up normally again and face her.

"_ You won't let go of the matter until I answer to all of your questions, will you?" She nodded. He sighed. " I have shared bed with a few ellith."

"_ What about ellyn?" Her tone was provocative.

"_ Nothing more than that one stolen kiss from Elrohir."

"_ You don't know what you're missing with ellyn..."

"_ I don't plan on finding out. I am fully satisfied by ellith. Any other unwanted question?" Strangely, he wasn't irritated by all those questions. He wandered how he could be so fired up against her one day and talk to her as if they had always known each other the next. He was probably this comfortable around her because this relationship was nothing important to him: it didn't matter to him if she judged him or not.

"_ _Yes._ Do you like being on top better than being und-"

"_ So," he cut her, wanting to go back to what was important. " Elhrohir is the evil twin and Elladan is the brain. Elrohir comes up with ideas and Elladan make it all happen." he explained. "I need you to come up with something mind blowing that they will not see coming."

"_ You do know that, even with my help, you would have more chances killing a warg deprived of all your limbs than beating them at this prank game?" She put her hands on her hips.

"_ You're over estimating them." he stated.

"_ _No_, you're overestimating us **and** underestimating them."

"_ LEGOLAS!" Alkien's voice called. They couldn't see him from the inside of the armoury but his angry voice was enough to scare both of them. "COME HERE!" he ordered. "And you!" bring your sorry ass to the infirmary!" He told to the poor elf who had just been injured.

* * *

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* * *

Unel had promised Nellil to take her for a ride. The princess was really excited about it and encouraged by her recent friend, she decided to take riding lessons. To help her, she first asked Galdor, but the Captain told her he was too busy. So she asked Gilion, but the elf politely declined saying that the King needed his assistance. She thought about asking Legolas, but she already new he would be against it. He liked to know she needed his help to get on and off horses. So far, she hadn't bothered to learn because it made him happy to feel useful to her somehow. But now, she wanted to be more independent...therefore, she would not tell him that she planned on learning.

After the first hour, Nellil finally got her horse to walk more or less straight. It was really different to ride it all by herself without with anyone holding the reins or giving orders to the horse so that it would behave.

"__ How are your people doing?_" asked the princess in Avari tongue, in a perfectly built sentence.

"_ We are accommodating very well, thank you. Some of us are built-..." he hesitated. "building" he waited for Nellil to nod before continuing. " houses here." he answered in Sindarin.

"__ I it am glad to hear!_" She smiled.

"__ I am glad to hear it._" he corrected.

"_ _I am glad to hear it._" she repeated. The horse stopped. She tried to get t to move again, but the beast refused to move despite her soliciting him. " Your Sindarin has improved a lot." Albien patted the horse, and ordered it to start walking again. "Who else teaches you? I can't be the only one."

"_ Sui also teaches me." He grimaced. "_But, she isn't a very serious teacher, I have to admit._"

"_ I am sorry I didn't understand the second part of your sentence", she apologized, trying to to keep the beast under control.

"_ I said that..." . He searched for his words. " My sister" he paused to think. "is not..serious like a teacher?" He waited for confirmation that she had understood him. She nodded.

"_ Ah! Now that you mention it...if it weren't for her accent, I could swear Sindarin is her mother tongue." The horse stopped again. Before Albien could react, Nellil patted the animal's neck and asked him to start walking. The beast didn't move, but it was a good initiative.

"_ She specialised in languages. She speaks many." He patted the horse and it started walking.

"_ I thought she would have wanted to be warrior..like you."

"_ She wants to, but the circumstances don't allow her to become one. _I think it is better she doesn't fight."_

"_ Olion says that she gave Legolas affective nicknames in your tongue." Albien raised a brow. That was unexpected. " He told me that she calls him '_blondie_' or '_prince-face' _most of the time and _'rotten twat' _when he is not around. They all sound nice but neither him nor Legolas would translate them for me."

She looked at him expecting him to clear that mystery for her.

"_ We should make a pause." He changed the subject. "The horse has a hungry look."

* * *

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* * *

"_ I will NOT, take part in this." Olion used both hands to emphasize his disapproval of the plan. "Provoking the twins is begging for problems and I already have a plate full of them!"

"_ Like what ?" asked Sui sarcastically. Olion was not one to put his nose in other people's business. He spent most of his time eating or drinking in the kitchen, exactly where he was sitting now, with Gilion, who was almost impossible to upset: what problem could he have? Life was easy on him!

"_ Like an angry and scary Avari!" snapped the red head.

"_ I dealt with an angry Avari." started Legolas, pointing at Sui. "And look, I'm still alive."

"_ You only are alive because she hasn't found a place, around here, to hide your corpse." Sui looked at Olion with big eyes then pinched him hard. She didn't like him spreading her secrets around. "Ouch!" He grabbed his side, where the elleth had just pinched him. "Also, Legolas," he turned to look at his friend. "You never kissed her sister. So, your life was never seriously endangered."

"_ You have a sister ?" asked Legolas, curious.

"_ _Nope._ Only brothers." answered the girl slightly confused as to what Olion was talking about. "But if I had one and you had kissed her, _aye_, I would definitely have killed you."

"_ Did you hear that?" asked Olion. "This, is why I am not helping you. I am too busy hiding! " he explained.

"_ Please, do something! We need his help!" pleaded the prince to the elleth, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"_ He's **your** best friend, not mine." she answered as she removed the blond elf's hand from her shoulder. "You, do something about it!" she told him.

"_ Actually," started Olion, "I would appreciate if you could do something about your friend." he told Sui.

"_ I have many friends, you kno-"

"_ That is not what I was told." teased the prince, cutting the girl mid sentence. Sui tried to pinch him but Legolas was quick to react and ran to stand on Olion's other side, where she couldn't reach him.

"__ You, dwarf troll!_" screamed the browned eyed elleth. She glared at the blond elf, who wore a satisfied grin on his face. "Which friend of mine were you talking about?" She turned to look at the lazy elf.

"_ Your best friend, the angry one!" he said as if the answer was obvious.

"_ They both are angry people!" she replied, sitting on the chair near Olion, while Legolas moved to sit in front of him.

"_ I'm talking about Mhélir!" he hit the table with both hands. "I swear he wants to kill me!" Desperate, he put his head down on the table.

"_ Can we talk about Mhélir later and go back to talking about the twins?"interrupted Legolas.

"_ No!" screamed the red head. "Later, I might not be alive if he finds me!"

"_ What did you do to him?" asked Sui. Yes, Mhélir was easy to anger but he controlled himself very well and contrary to her, he did not hit nor threaten to hit anyone who rubbed him the wrong way.

"_ To him?! Nothing!" exclaimed Olion. "Like I said, I kissed his sister, Mhéléane, last night."

Legolas's eyes grew wide. Olion was usually too afraid to approach ellith he liked. Especially when they were as beautiful as Mhéléane was.

"_ Mhélir saw you?" asked Sui, unmoved by the news. But how could she be surprised by it when before the party she had spent a long time talking to Mhéléane about Olion, convincing her to give him a try.

"_ Yes..." he answered, putting his head back down on the table.

"_ Oh." she said. "He definitely hates you now." she affirmed, putting a her hand on her friend's back. "But he won't touch you." Olion opened his eyes to look at her. "Not as long as Mhéléane has any interest in you."

"_ So she is interested in me?" Olion, now, stood straight in his chair, a large smile on his face, having already forgotten about Mhélir wanting to dig his sword in him.

"_ I don't know!"truthfully exclaimed the girl. "She doesn't tell me everything. We don't gossip like the two of you do!"

"_ Can we, PLEASE, talk about the twins?!" interrupted Legolas, again, impatient to plan the two princes' demise.

* * *

The night had enveloped the sky for hours without Legolas, Olion and Sui noticing it. The three of them talked about 'the plan' and shared a pie. Legolas and Olion had argued what was the best way to take care of their hair while Sui fell asleep. Once the two had noticed that the girl was deeply sleeping, after staring at her for while - it was the first time for both of them to see an elf sleep like a human- they braided her hair, what woke her up and earned them blue pinch marks on their arms. Following that, Legolas and Sui wrestled for the last piece of pie while Olion discretely ate it.

After a lot of pinching, exchanges of swear words in many tongues that the prince and the red headed elf didn't understand and body and hair care talks, they had finally agreed on one thing: Thranduil had the most incredible, long, blond, shiny hair in all of middle-earth.

While the elves sitting in the kitchen were still chatting, the front door opened and a blond headed elleth with pink lips and pink cheeks came in.

"_ Aren't you done scheming?!" jokingly said Nellil. "Your father sent me to tell you that you should go dress up for tonight."

"_ Why should I dress up for tonight? Is there another party?" asked the prince. "Please, don't tell me there is another party!"

"_ Would you have me lie to you, my lord?" teased the princess. Legolas sighed. "Your father is throwing a private party for Elrohir and Elladan!" She excitedly added. " Of course," she turned to look at the Avari and Olion, " You can both join if you wish."

"_ NO!" screamed Legolas and Sui at the same time. The Avari elleth, still traumatised by her experience as a maid, did not wish to be anywhere near the princess and Legolas, did not wish for Sui to be anywhere near the twins: revealing his secret weapon too soon would bring nothing good! Besides, he had seen enough of her for the day.

"_ Why not?" asked Nellil to the Avari, surprised that she would decline an invitation at the King's table.

"_ She has plenty to do!" quickly answered Legolas, who feared Sui would actually tell Nellil that she was the reason why she declined easy access to most ravishing banquet that she would probably ever have the occasion to admire.

"_ Oh, I see." she murmured disappointed. "Well, you should go get ready soon." she told Legolas "Dinner will start earlier than usual."

Legolas sighed.

"_ Could you tell my father that I do not fair well and went to bed?" he begged. "I am not ready yet for what is about to come." he whined.

"_ Is he still paranoid about their intentions?" asked the princess to Olion who nodded.

"_ It is not paranoia when it happens EVERYTIME they visit!" argued the prince, frowning.

"_ What happens every time they visit?" Sui was lost. It seemed that the prince had a bigger trauma caused by the twins than she had because of Nellil.

"_ They get him really drunk." explained Olion.

"__ Is that all?_" Sui threw a mocking look at the prince.

"_ No!" screamed the blond elf. "It doesn't matter that they get me drunk!" snapped the prince. "The problem is that when I wake up the next morning, I can have anything. Really. Just anything."

"_ I don't understand." Sui tilted her head to the side.

"_ Last time, I woke up, naked, holding a pineapple that had a scary face carved in it, in the shooting range, a red target painted with blood on my chest." He paused. "And, I don't know to whom it belonged, but that blood was not mine."

Sui was both very amused and very disturbed by the story. She wanted to laugh but was weirded out by what she had just heard. Shelaughed a little. Paused. Laughed again. Paused again.

* * *

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* * *

In the Avari camp, far from the other fires, near Alkien's tent, a loud group of Avari were eating. From where all the other Avari were, they could see a tall shadow moving in an irritated manner.

"_ _No!_" screamed The Giant. "_Tomorrow you are NOT supervising ANYTHING, with anyone! You are still sanctioned!_"

"__ But Alkien-" _

"__ Sui!_" cut the Captain. "Eat your food, and go to bed!" he ordered. "It is late." Done screaming, Alkien sat down.

"__ I'm not sleeping tonight,_" started the elleth, "_Mhéléane and I are-_"

"_ _Don't bother._" cut Mhélir. "_ I sent Mhéléane to bed. She is training tomorrow._"

Sui sighed then rested her head on Albien's arm, preventing him from eating. Softened -and slightly annoyed- by the gesture, Albien sent a pleading look to his father.

"__ Father...Please..look at her." _said Albien looking at his sister._ "She is miserable."_

"_ _No!_" replied Alkien. "_She is still very young, she should be sleeping._"

Sui lifted her head for a second to say "You are the one who said I should be treated like an adult!" then lowered it again on Albien's arm.

"_ _She is right._" insisted Albien. "_Besides, if you don't take care of it, you know she will trick a suggestible person into doing it." _When he said 'suggestible', he looked at Mhélir for a second.

"_ _Are you calling ME a suggestible person?"_ asked the green eyed Avari on an irritated tone.

Albien ignored him. Alkien sighed. Sui, head still laying on her brother's arm turned around to look at Alkien, waiting an answer.

"_ _I am busy tonight._" said the Captain. Upon hearing that, the elleth closed her eyes, disappointed. "_But, you can train with Geldrik, if he doesn't mind._"

She stood up straight.

"_ _Arwf...Can't I train with Albien instead?" _asked Sui._ "I don't feel like I progress when fighting with Geldrik."_she complained _"He is a real beast. He annihilates me in a few seconds every time I face him..."_

"__ You grow bolder everyday don't you?!" _said a masculine low voice. _"Calling me a beast to my face..." _Geldrick grinned_. "I, will train you so you can remember how weak you still are."_

Sui swallowed her saliva in a gulp. She knew he was going to ridicule her. Again.

"__ Geldrick, please, do not damage her too much, she still has a sanction to finish." _said the Captain before leaving.


	15. Chapter 14: The confused, the confusing

**Chapter 14: The confused, the confusing and the even more confusing**

The first light were shining on Sui's dark skin, making her fresh bruises more apparent, while she was waiting for Legolas -or Olion, she wasn't sure- to show up. Not having slept the previous night, she was sleepy: her eyes closed every now and then, and when they did, she would lower her head a little and when her chin would touch her chest, she would open her eyes again.

"_ She is a lot smaller than I expected." said a voice she had never heard before.

The elleth opened both eyes only to be blinded by the sun's light. All she was able to distinguish for now was a large shadow that seemed to have two heads.

"_ And a lot younger than I expected." continued a similar voice.

Sui brought a hand to her forehead, to protect her eyes from the light. She was now able to distinguish the two identical faces that belonged to the two identical strong elven bodies standing in front of her.

"_ Are you Sui?" asked the first one who spoke.

"_ Where is-"

"_ The prince?" cut the second one. The girl frowned and nodded. "Hungover." he answered. "I am Elladan." He bowed. Sui raised a brow.

"_ And I am Elrohir." He bowed as well.

Sui raised the other brow.

"_ I cannot tell the difference between the two of you." said the girl, still tired. "So your names matter very little." She sighed. The brothers exchanged a foxy look and a grin. "Why didn't the prince send Ólion in his stead?" asked the girl. She would have liked to know that she was going to be greeted so early in the morning by the 'devils' Legolas had spoken about.

"_ Why does it matter? Do you not like being around princes?" asked Elrohir, jokingly.

"_ Well..." started to elleth for who speaking Sindarin was hard at the moment. "I only know one other prince and we tend to make each other..." she searched for her words. "Very tense." she completed. "And not in the fun way." She looked at them. "He didn't send you here, did he?!"

"_Indeed, he did not." answered Elladan.

"_ We decided by ourselves to to come in his stead." completed Elrohir.

"_ And why is that?" questioned Sui. Why would they come here? What business did they have with her? None. They had never met. She had heard about them, but they were princes so that was only normal. However they probably had never heard about her: she was Avari and not one of the most honourable ones. So...what could there be doing there?

"_ Curiosity." said Elladan.

"_ Curiosity?" repeated the girl. "Am I the only Avari left on middle earth?" asked the girl on a provocative tone, a cocky smile on her lips.

"_ No, but you're the only one..." started Elrohir.

"_ ...who's name came all the way to us." finished Elladan.

"_ And had you never heard an Avari name before?" she asked on the same provocative tone.

Elrohir turned to look at his brother.

"_ She is cocky." he told his slightly younger brother.

"_ And slow." added Elladan.

"_ Indeed." replied Elrohir, tilting his head to the side.

They both turned to talk at the elleth again.

"_ We meant that although you have** no title**, we heard a lot about you from high elves of this realm." explained Elladan.

Sui looked at him questioningly.

"_ Their opinions on you are quite divergent." added Elrohir.

Sui moved her eyes from Elladan to look at Elrohir.

"_ Some said you are quite bold." said Elladan.

She looked at him again.

"_ Why is it that you defy authority so?" asked Elrohir.

Sui opened her mouth to answer Elrohir but was beaten to it by Elladan.

"_ Why don't you try to fit in, here, in Greenwood the Great, like every one else?"

"_ Could the reason be that you dislike wood elves ?"questioned Elrohir.

"_ Or could it be that you are anti-social ?" asked Elladan tilted his head to the side.

"_ Maybe you-" Elrohir stopped talking because Sui appeared to be done listening to them and had began walking away, towards the Avari camp. She had had a rough night, she needed to rest her body, was confused as to who was who, and couldn't process any of the questions she was asked to answer. It was too early in the day for that, and she had never really thought, so far, about the reason why she wasn't trying harder to fit in with the wood elves.

The twins looked at his each other with dissatisfaction showing on both their faces.

* * *

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* * *

"_ _How many?"_ asked Alkien for the second time. He couldn't believe it.

"_ _38 moved in, 16 more are thinking about it. But they are the only ones feeling like Greenwood the Great could be their home. And as of today, 27 are married with wood elves."_

Alkien sighed, sat down and put his face in his hands.

"__ Among them all, is there any one wishing to leave our army to join theirs?_"

"_ _Only two._" answered the Giant's son.

Alkien rubbed his temple.

"__ Did they say why?_" asked the Captain.

Albien nodded.

"_ _Their respective partner are in the wood elves' army."_ explained Albien.

"_ _Very well._" Alkien sighed again. " _Will there be any Avari weddings or do they consider the wood elves linking enough?"_

"_ _They all wish to perform an Avari wedding in addition to the wood elf linking._" said Albien. Alkien put his head in his hand again. "_The amount of paper work for this will be tremendous..._"He sighed. "_I won't have enough time to take care of all this..._" exhaled the Captain. "_Give the paper work to your sister and tell those who specifically asked for me to marry them, and only them, that I will do so when I come back."_

"_ _Very well_." Albien did the Avari salute and made his way to the tent's exit. He stopped. "_Father...Did you tell Sui?_"

Alkien growled.

"_ _Not yet._" answered the Giant.

"_ _You will have to tell eventually." _said Albien. _"I can tell her if you wish."_ he offered.

"__ No."_ He rubbed his temples again. _" She doesn't have to know just yet."_ He sighed. _"Not now."_

Albien frowned a little.

"_ _ The sooner, the better, Father."_ He put a hand on his waist. _" She won't take it well if you let her know at the last moment."_

"_ _She won't take it well at any moment!"_ snapped back the Captain. _"So we might has well buy ourselves some peace and keep it between Geldrik, you and I for now."_ He looked at his son. _"Understood?"_

Albien grimaced, nodded, then left.

* * *

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* * *

Back in her tent, Sui was getting ready to go to bed. She had managed to go across the camp without being noticed by any of her friends so that no one could report to Alkien that she was not spending the morning accomplishing ingrate tasks. She took the old ribbon she used as a belt off and threw it somewhere. She took her shirt off and threw away. She kept the bands she used to bind her breasts on and started to head for the bed when someone came in her tent unannounced. She turned around and saw one of the twins. He was standing there, staring at her, a grin on his face. She sighed and closed her eyes. This morning was going to be a long and annoying one.

"_ What do you want?" she asked, putting both hands on her waist, irritated by the intrusion.

"_ My brother lost interest in you." started the twin. "He thinks you too...how do I put it politely..." he searched for his words. She squinted an eye. "Too Dumb." completed the ellon. " Unnecessarily aggressive, too cocky, and somewhat smug." he added. Sui opened both eyes wide. "But,I, find you interesting."

Sui rubbed her temples. If she had had her knives she would have terminated him right there, right now. Or at least she would have tried. All she wanted was to get rid of him but he didn't seem to be the type to give up easily.

" Actually," he started again. "Interesting is not the right word. You are too predictable for that. No, you are **intriguing**." He paused. "Yes, you intrigue me." he told himself.

"_ Intriguing?" she repeated, raising a brow.

"_Yes, intriguing." he repeated again. "Depending on who we questioned about you, you are a different person." He explained. "You are a mystery to Legolas. He doesn't really know what to think about you but maintain you are a nuisance." He crossed his arms behind his back. "Ólion thinks of you as a good friend, already." He smiled and took a step forward, coming closer to elleth who was not intimidated and did not move from her spot. The win bent down and murmured into her ear : "I also heard you have an intimate friend, who, as it so happens, also is your best friend." He stood straight again and took a step back. "And the others, if I am not mistaken, consider you as part of their family, although you are not related at all." He paused to look at her right in the eyes. "Would you like to know who I think you are?"

Sui looked right back into his eyes.

"_ Opinions are like ass holes, everyone has one." she told the prince.. "Only facts are important. So, no, I do not care to know what or who you think I am." She paused. The twin raised a brow and grinned. " What I do care to know, in the other hand, is which one out of the two twins you are, so I can remember that, **you,** my lord, are the annoying one."

He ignored the last part.

"_ Then here is a fact: we will get very well along together." His grinned grew. "I like you very much, so far, 'special' elleth."

Mhélir came in the tent unannounced. He was taken aback for a second, because not expecting to find anyone else than Sui that he saw sneak back inside her tent a few minutes earlier.

"_ Your Highness." He bowed then turned to Sui. "_What is a prince doing here?"_ He asked worried that she had gotten in trouble again, with another prince. Sui opened her mouth but did not have the time to reply.

"_ Soldier." answered the twin to acknowledge the other ellon presence. The dark headed prince then took Sui's hand in his and kissed it. " I am Elrohir." He smiled warmly, for the first time. "Please, differentiate me from my brother." he said before leaving both Sui and Mhélir astonished and confused.

After a few seconds of blank starring at the spot where the prince stood, in silence, Sui moved to lay face down, on her bed.

"_ _Do you think I'm special?_" she asked Mhélir, face buried in a soft pillow.

"_ _You sure are 'special'_." He answered sarcastically, laughing a little at the same time.

Sui buried her face deeper in the pillow then pulled out, frowning, to look at her friend.

"_ _Sometimes," S_he yawned. _"I think none of you know how to appreciate me." _She answered annoyed of being made fun of.

"_ _Well,_" started the green eyed Avari, walking towards the bed. "_I am here to appreciate you now._" He sat on the bed and kissed the back of her naked shoulder.

Sui rolled on the side then kicked him off the bed. The ellon felt ass first on the ground, not sure about what had just happened.

"_ _Mhélir..get the fuck out. I am not in the mood." _she said, lazily laying. "I need to sleep." She sighed. "I really need to sleep."

Normally, he would get mad. But knowing that she had a rough night training with Geldrik because she was covered in black and blue bruises, and suspecting that she had an unpleasant talk with the prince, which, put her in the mood she was now, he let it go.

"__ Can I come back later?_ " he asked, standing up.

"_ _Yes._" she murmured. "_Before bed time. But I can't guarantee I'll be here._"

* * *

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* * *

In the King's garden, sitting on the fountain's side borders, Nellil and Unel played together with the water. Their feminine laughs echoed in the woods. They looked like two young nymph, enjoying the dryness of autumn's sun.

As Nellil was protecting herself from the water Unel was splashing water at her, she turned her head to the side, forming a barrier with her arms, and looked at the sky. There, she saw a bird. A small, blue bird. She let her arms drop to her sides, not taking her eyes off it. Worried, Unel stopped throwing water at her.

"_ What is it, my Lady?" asked the older elleth. "Are you hurt? Did you receive water in your eyes?" She came closer to inspect the blond elleth.

"_ No, it is just..." the sound of her voice disappeared before she had finished her sentence. Nellil took a deep breath. "Look, a tiny bird." She pointed at it, a sad smile on her face. "I used to love them...then.." Her voice trailed away again. "Then Legolas told me that sometimes, when he sees or hears one -a bird- it reminds him of seagulls, flying over the ocean." She took her left her hand in her right and looked at her feet. "He says remembering seagulls makes him feel the call grow slightly stronger every time."

Unel's heart skipped a bit.

"_ The Call?" He never told her. She didn't know he had heard it. She didn't know his heart craved for him to be far, far, far away from where he was now. From where **she** was now.

"_ Yes...He heard it when he was travelling with the fellowship of the ring, a few winters ago." She looked up to look at Unel's face. "Olion told me that sometimes, he leaves the court without telling anyone. He disappears for a day, or for a few days to build ships, on his own somewhere around the lake and comes back when he is done building one, or when he feels better." She chuckled lightly. "There is one thing is funny about that. The king is so afraid that his son would leave with one of those boats that he sends guards to destroy them as soon as Legolas comes back." She chuckled again. "He forgets that it is a lake, it doesn't lead to the sea!"

Unel smiled lightly. The princess was tougher than she looked. She could pump her spirits up on her own, even when the situation was rather dramatic.

* * *

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* * *

Elrohir entered the prince's of Eryn Lasgalen's room. Inside, he found, just as he expected, his brother sitting on a chair that he had moved near the bed, but to a safe distance from it, and Legolas, still hungover, still in bed, unable to move.

"_ Did you confirm whatever it was that you wanted to confirm?" asked Elladan, not raising his head out of the book he was reading.

"_ What did he want to confirm?" asked the prince with a hoarse voice.

"_ That, Legolas, is none of your business." Elrohir came close to his brother, told him something so low in his ear that Legolas could not hear it. The twins exchanged devilish grins then Elladan went back to his book. "I have to say that your Avari elleth is less impulsive than you said she was." said Elrohir, while looking through Legolas's drawers.

"_ You met her?!" Legolas pushed away the pillow that was covering his face.

"_ Earlier this morning. We went to tell her that neither you nor Olion could take care of her today." explained Elladan.

"_ It was the least we could do." added the older twin.

Legolas growled. Worry showed on his face.

"_ What is it?" questioned Elladan looking away from his book.

"_ What is wrong with your face?" asked Elrohir, wearing a mocking smile.

Legolas opened his mouth, but like they often did, the twins spoke first.

"_ Don't you trust us, even with such a simple task?" said the brothers in perfect unison.

"_ I don't trust you with anything at all." replied Legolas, rolling to lay on his side and have a better view on the secretive princes. "I distrust Elladan slightly less though, but still, I distrust both of you as much as what is possible allows."

Elrohir stopped going through Legolas's stuff and turned around and look at his brother, brows furrowed.

"_ I am offended!" he exclaimed. "Why does every one trust you more than they do me?" He sighed. "They can't even tell us apart from one another, how can this happen?"

Elladan ignored his slightly older brother's outburst and went back to looking at his book.

"_ Why do you trust us so little when we nursed you so well last night and are staying with you right now to make sure you do not need anything?" asked Elladan, not looking at the blond prince.

"_ I wouldn't call that" he pointed at his chest. " 'taking care'." He grabbed the pillow and put it under his head to be more comfortable. "Also,YOU", he pointed at both of them. "Got me drunk, again, and, YOU are only here now to gloat because I haven't found the strength to fight my way out of this ridiculously tight corset." He looked at the corset wondering once more this morning how did the twins managed to put him in it...It was so tight.

"_ We only put the drinks in your hand..." started Elrohir.

"_ We never forced you to gulp it all down..." completed Elladan.

"_ But you did put some drugs in it so I would get drunk faster." accused the prince.

The twins looked at each other and shook their shoulders as if they had no idea what the prince was talking about.

"_ You can't blame us for the corset either." started Elrohir.

"_ We did not force you to wear it." finished Elladan.

"_ I WAS PASSED OUT!" screamed the Silvan. Then, frustrated, Legolas turned around in his bed and put the pillow on his face to try to go back to sleep.


	16. Chapter 15: Riding the wrong beast

**Chapter 15: Riding the wrong beast  
**

Finally up, after having slept all morning and through lunch, Sui had woken up and was getting dressed in order to go to find Alkien and be given a task for the rest of the day. He said she wouldn't be supervising anything today, so she had no idea what else she was supposed to do.

She was looking around the tent for the shirt she had thrown somewhere earlier, but couldn't find it. When she was all on her four, looking under the safe near her tent entrance, someone came in. Seeing the persons shoes where made in brown leather and were unsoiled, she knew they didn't belong to an Avari.

She sighed.

"__ I need to find a way to keep that entrance shut. There is too much unwanted traffic in here." _She told herself, standing up to look at the intruder's face. "_Oh shit!_ You again!" she exclaimed.

"_"No." calmly answered the twin. "You are mistaking me for my brother, Elrohir. I, am Elladan, the younger twin."

"_ Rah... Is that so? Well then I guess I am sorry, your highness." She scratched the back of her head. "It is just that I do not wish to have my hand rape-kissed a second time today._ I don't think I could handle it." _explained Sui.

"_ 'Rape kissed'..." repeated the prince. "It is an interesting way to put it." He grimaced. "However I would rather you do not use the term 'rape' for it could send the wrong message and-"

"_YOUR HIGHNESS!" she screamed to cut him short. She was well rested now but it didn't mean she wanted to listen to people talk to her all day long. "What do you want from me? Why are you here?"

Elladan, amused by her haste and by the fact that she was rude and daring enough to scream at him, a prince, while trying to remain polite, by calling him 'your highness' in anon ironical way, laughed a little.

"_ I am here to apologize for my brother's and my behaviour this morning. We never meant to harass nor infuriate you with our questions. Like we said, we were merely just curious about you." he cleared. "And curiosity is also the reason why, I would like to invite you, to join us: Prince Legolas, Olion, my brother and I, in our stroll, tomorrow."

"_ I thought no one was to go over the gates until further notice?"answered the girl.

"_ Unless you have direct consent of the king." replied Elladan. Sui rolled her eyes. _'Of course all those princes have a special treatment.'_ thought the elleth. "Which we do not have." continued the ellon. "But we do have sufficient knowledge of the guards' patrol hours on the wall to leave the realm without being noticed."

Sui squinted both eyes.

"_ Is it an obligation for me to join you in your stroll?" asked the girl.

"_ No. It isn't." started Elladan. "It is an invitation, that of course, you are free to decline."

"_ Very well then, I refuse."

That said, she turned around and started looking for her shirt again. Elladan stood there for a second, slightly confused.

"_ Wait!" exclaimed the prince. Sui turned around. "May I ask why you do not wish to accompany us?"

"_ Because I have been given a unique chance to prove myself and I do not wish to blow it away by disobeying an order coming from the king." cleared the elleth.

"_ I expected more from you." said Elladan, tilting his head to the side.

"_ Everybody does." answered the girl, looking for her shirt again. "Or rather did." she corrected herself. " Like the others did, you'll get over it with time, I promise." she said sarcastically before laughing.

Disappointed, Elladan left.

* * *

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* * *

The next day was a supervised training day for Olion and Legolas. On 'free- training' days they generally didn't do much so they were now somewhat falling behind compared to the others, when it came to fighting as part of a group.

"_ Ohoho!" nervously laughed the ellon. "No." he raised his index and moved it left to right. "Do not think you can escape that. You, are coming too." finished Legolas.

"__ What?!_" screamed Sui. "_NO!_" she objected. "Why?"

"_ If they guessed that we are conspiring against them-"

"_ Don't say us!" cut Olion, detaching his eyes for only a second from his snack. "It is only the two of you. I am still not taking part in this mess."

"_ _Yes,_ and I am forced to be part of it so don't count me as though I wanted anything to do with all that." added the girl.

"_ I was saying-" re-started Legolas. "If the twins guessed that we are conspiring against them, they are only organising this 'stroll' to trap us. So, Sui, as a member of the scheme, you, are joining because if I am to fall down, I will not fall alone!"

"__You are sick!" _screamed the girl in her tongue. Both ellyn understood what the girl said was probably negative but no more than that. "I can't join!" she protested again. "I have reports to take care of and to hand to Alkien by tomorrow night, AND, I haven't started yet! I don't have time_ to measure dicks _with you and the twins tomorrow!"

Once more the ellyn didn't understood what she had said in Avari. Legolas seriously started to consider learning Avari tongue, in order to be able to answer back at her.

"_ Olion and I will help you finish the reports today so that you can join tomorrow." offered the prince. Upon hearing this Olion choked on his sandwich. He didn't want to write his own reports, there was no way he was going to write hers.

"_ I don't WANT your help!" screamed the elleth. "_By Nienna!_* I really just don't want to go with you and the two demons!" she admitted. "You I don't really mind." she said looking at Olion. "You're the only normal elf out of the group."

"_ Thank you!" said Olion, truly appreciating to not being associated with the three other elves.

"_ Come with us as part of your sanction then." proposed Legolas. Sui rolled her eyes. Why wouldn't he let it go?! " It is either that or cleaning the archery range knowing that they have recently been overused and still currently are."

"_ I would gladly clean the archery range." she answered.

Legolas thought for moment, his eyes not leaving Sui's.

"_ Then, I can simply tell Alkien that you refuse to cooperate when it comes to your sanction and you can say goodbye to your trainee-ship." Sui's jaw dropped open. "Think about it, even if you tell him the truth he is more inclined to believe me over you on that matter."

The elleth was speechless. Olion too had difficulties processing what was happening. He expected that kind of behaviour from the Avari girl, not from the Silvan prince.

"_ You wouldn't-"

"_ Try me." answered the prince, coldly.

Sui stood up. She was furious and both ellyn could see it on her now obscure face. But before she had the time to do something she would regret, she was interrupted.

"_ _SUI__! Come here this instant!_" an angry voice screamed. Sui jumped back. Alkien was addressing her as a Captain. "_Quit messing around and do some real work!_"

Contrary to the two others who had small breaks during their supervised training day, she didn't have time for small chats and snacks. She started walking backwards, towards Alkien, without detaching her angry eyes from the prince.

"_ Rest assured that I am not done with you 'my lord _of bullshit'_." she warned before turning around and running to her Captain.

"_ I hate it when she speaks in Avari!" complained the prince once she was out of his sight. " She can insult us as much as she wishes and we can't even defend ourselves!" He pouted.

Gilion, who was sitting behind the small group, had heard everything that had been said. He put his head right in between the two elves.

"_ I want to change my bet." he told Olion, ignoring Legolas."

"_You can't!" exclaimed the red head. "If we both bet on the elleth, there can't be a bet."

Gilion frowned.

"_ What are you talking about?" asked the prince, completely lost.

"_ We have a little game going on." started the butler. "It is about which one, between Sui and you, will beat the other up when eventually, you will fight each other with your fists" Legolas blinked several times. "And I must say that your best friend here," Gilion pointed at Olion. "Who had very little faith in you from the beginning, tricked me into betting on you when obviously your days counted."

Legolas threw a mean glare at Olion who shook his head as an answer.

"_ I can't believe you both think she is stronger than I am!" he closed his hands into fists. " When standing up, her head doesn't even reach my shoulder!" he added.

"_ We don't think she is stronger than you are." answered Olion.

"_ Why do you both want to bet on her, then?" asked the prince.

"_ Because she is fast, sneaky, cruel and will take your life without hesitation when you least expect it." explained Gilion.

"_ Am I not fast?" Legolas was a little hurt. One of the elves who practically raised him and one with who he grew up had more faith in a teeny-tiny elleth's abilities than in his.

"_ Legolas, you aren't fast enough compared to her." started Olion. "Trust me. I fought against her and I swear it was like trying to catch fly with closed eyes and bandaged hands."

"_ How did you win then?" asked the butler.

"_ She barely knows how to hold a sword...and she tired herself moving around like the ground was on fire." Re-enacting the fight in his head, Olion chuckled a little.

"_ Then, granted, she might be faster than I am. But do you not believe me sneaky or cruel enough to bend the rules of combat and-"

"_ You are as cruel as a rabbit, Legolas." cut Olion.

Gilion laughed.

"_ I know more ferocious rabbits than he is." told the butler to the red head.

Angry, Legolas took his sword and left.

Nienna= the Valar of Mercy

* * *

**·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·**

* * *

Hiding behind trees and bushes, Elladan and Legolas were waiting for the girl who was late. No matter how little he knew the girl, the prince was convinced that she was purposely late: that she was probably walking extremely slowly, taking her time and was probably hoping that someone would stop her and have a long talk with her in order to be even more late. He couldn't have been more right.

Once she had arrived and made all the ellyn understand that she was in the worst of moods and argued with Legolas about what took her "so long that he would have had the time to die of old age twice", she was asked where was her horse.

"_ My horse?" she asked. "My horse died on the journey here. Geldrik ate it!" she exclaimed. Both ellyn made funny noises to express their disgust and shock. "What do I need a horse for, right now? You are both on foot."

"_ The horses are on the other side of the wall with Elrohir and Olion." said Elladan. "We plan on going pretty far away, you will need one." He looked down at her feet. "You can certainly not walk all the way there barefoot."

She smiled.

"_ I guess I have no other choice than to go back to my tent then." she said, turning around to leave. Legolas stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"_ Don't even think about it." he murmured in her ear. Annoyed, she turned back to face him.

"_ Am I supposed to go get a horse, now?" Irritation could be heard in her voice.

"_ We can't wait any longer, the guard will patrol in this area soon. We have to go over the wall now." said Elladan.

"_ Well, since I can't walk and don't have enough time to get myself a horse, I am going back to sleep!" She turned around again to leave.

Legolas grabbed her by the arm and started walking towards the wall, dragging her along.

"_ You'll ride with Olion. He won't mind." said Legolas.

Elladan looked at them, amused, a few seconds before following them.

"_ Why didn't you bring MORE HORSES!?" half screamed the prince.

"_ Do you know how hard it is to smuggle animals that big out of the court when they are twice more guards than usual?" answered Elrohir on the same tone. "Why are they so many guards here, anyway? What is going on around this place!?"

Sui bit her tongue. The questions were rhetorical but it seemed that apart from her, no one in the group seemed to know about the Hwenti. '_Isn't he the prince? Why didn't the king tell him?_' wondered the elleth.

"_ How are we supposed to fit all five of us on three horses?" growled Legolas.

"_ Two people on each horse." started Elrohir

"_ And on the last horse, one person rides with all the food." finished Elladan.

"_ I'M RIDING WITH THE FOOD!" screamed Olion as soon as the younger twin finished his sentence, already climbing on the horse that was carrying all the goods.

"_ We can't ride together." agreed Legolas and Sui at the same time.

"_ Then one of you will ride with me." said one of the twins before climbing on a horse.

"_ And the other with me." completed the other twin before climbing on the third horse.

"_ I'M RIDING WITH ELLADAN!" screamed Sui. Legolas kicked a tree out of anger. He would have to ride with Elrohir, the twin he trusted the less. "Wait." said the Avari. "Which one of you is Elladan?"

The two brothers looked at each other, grinned, then shook their shoulders. Sui kicked the tree that was previously kicked by the prince out of frustration.

Legolas walked to the closer twin and climbed behind him. Sui climbed in front of the other twin and took the reins.

After a few minutes or riding, Sui couldn't help but notice how the twin sitting behind her was pulling her close to him, holding her tight. She could feel his hands were strong and his muscled torso tense every now and then. She tried to tell herself that the contact, the warmth coming from the ellon's body and his hands holding her firmly didn't turn her on, but it did. And very much so. So much that it was actually a struggle for her to not stop the horse and throw the twin on the floor, right there, in front of every one, and tear his clothes off him.

But she didn't. She knew she only desired the ellon so much because she hadn't had sex in a while. Not since the party, two days ago, which felt like an eternity at the moment. Every time she was stressed or worried about something, she felt the need to feel someone else's body pressed against hers more often than she usually does.

She was thinking that she would have to find Mhélir as soon as she would get back to the camp when she felt the twin's breath near her neck.

"_ I see you master the art of riding horses." murmured the twin in the elleth's ear before softly biting the tip of her ear. She shivered.

"_ I am guessing that you are Elrohir then." Sui sighed. _"Great."_ she told herself sarcastically. "What you just said and did was both inappropriate and awkward." she told him.

"_ Well, you are both inappropriate and awkward so it couldn't have been more appropriate, if you follow my logic." offered Elrohir.

"_ I would rather not follow you nor your logic." she answered.

"_ Why is that so ?" asked the brown headed wood elf, tightening his grip on the elleth's waist.

Sui bit her lip. Why did **he** have to be the one sitting behind her!?

"_ I do not wish to end up riding the wrong beast at the end of the day." answered the girl, grinning. Elrohir laughed out loud. He didn't expect her to play along with him.

* * *

Once settled near the river, where it was the calmest, Elladan pushed Legolas into the water and claimed to be Elrohir. The Silvan wasn't completely wet, thanks to his good reflexes but did not appreciate the gesture very much. Not being able to differentiate the brothers, Legolas complained about the twin named Elrohir. Being short tempered, Elrohir jumped into the water and tried to make the blond prince fall face first in the water.

While the two princes fought under the desperate eyes of Olion, Elladan and Sui talked about combat. The elleth was fascinated by the tales of war and raids the younger twin was telling her. Elladan was gifted with eloquence, he made the stories sound a lot more interesting than they actually were.

Once they were both completely wet and tired to wrestle for no reason in the river, Legolas and Elrohir joined the others to eat on the river's border. Not having brought anything to eat, Sui just looked at the others.

"_ There you go." said Legolas, giving half of his sandwich to the girl. He couldn't handle eating in front of an obviously starving elfling any longer.

Sui gladly took the sandwich and bit it. The flavours of fresh vegetables and good ham in her mouth had never tasted better than at the moment. She hadn't swallowed her food that she took another bite and smiled uncontrollably while she chewed. Only Legolas was observing her at the moment. Soften by the childishness of the Avari, he smiled. Then, he remembered who he was staring at and his warm smile disappeared to let a cocky smirk take its place.

"_ You are almost friendly when you don't pretend to be tough." he teased. He knew she wouldn't like to hear that. Especially not from him. She was so predictable.

The light on her face disappeared. She growled and open her mouth to speak but was beaten to it by Elrohir.

"_ Every one knows you like your elleths helpless, Legolas." he teased.

Legolas furrowed a brow. Sui smirked.

"_ It must be really hard to find yourself a weak elleth when you, yourself, aren't that strong." added the girl.

Legolas grimaced and Olion chuckled.

"_ Olion..." Elladan furrowed both brows " Why are they no fruits in the bag when I filled it before we left?"asked Elladan, not too happy that his desert had disappeared.

Olion shook his head. He truly didn't know why the bag was empty.

"_ Maybe they fell while we were riding?" offered the red head.

"_ The horses were walking, how could they have fallen?!" replied Legolas.

Olion shook his shoulder.

"_ The fruits!" exclaimed Elrohir, bringing a hand to his forehead. "Sui and I ate them on the way here." he started. "You were riding just in front of us and they looked so tasty we could not resist them." he explained.

Elladan slapped the back of his brother's head and readied himself to do the same to the girl. However, she stood up in a jump.

"_ I'll go get some fruits for you." she said then left to venture in the forest. Surprised by her nice gesture, they all stared at her leaving without reacting.

"_ Someone should go with her. It isn't safe to let her there on her own." said Olion looking at Legolas.

"_ Don't you look at me!" said the Silvan. "I didn't eat the fruits." he turned to look at Elrohir.

"_ Okay." said the older twin. "I will go after her."

Sui had left for only few minutes but had already found quite a few fruits. Prunes, peaches and unidentified yellow and violet deformed fruits that she had never seen before and really wanted to eat. All she had to do was to climb up the tree. She put all the fruits she was holding down, on the grass, and started escalating the branches. Once high up, she realised that the tree was a lot taller than she had anticipated and the fruits that she thought close seemed a little further away every time she climbed on another branch. She sighed and looked at the yellow fruit. She furrowed her brows. "_An Avari never gives up._", she told herself, before climbing on higher branches and reaching the object of her desire.

Once down, she started picking up the fruits she had put down earlier. While doing so she could hear the bushes in her back shake. Something, or someone was observing her. Not turning around nor standing up, she discretely brought a hand to the small knife she hid under her clothes, at her waist. If it was an orc or a Hwenti she was ready to kill it.

The bushes moved again. She stood up, slowly, and as soon as she was standing the creature jumped on her, put its hands on her shoulder and pushed her in order to trap her between him and the tree. When she felt the strength of the hands grabbing her shoulders, instead of trying to resist them, Sui squatted to free herself. Surprised and unprepared for such a reaction, her assailant lost his balance for a few second which was enough for the elleth to go behind him, block both his arms behind his back and push him against the tree. He was completely immobilised.

"_ Argh." whined Elrohir, trying to move away from the elleth's grip. "Could you loosen the grip a little bit, please?"

Sui sighed. She should have known it would be him. Again. She released him only to flip him around, pulling him down to her height by the collar and bring her knife to his neck.

"_ I could have killed you." she told him, keeping her voice emotionless.

"_ But you didn't." He looked at her. Her face was unreadable. "And I would appreciate it very much if you didn't kill me now either." She relaxed the muscles of her face and rolled her eyes. He looked at the knife she still held to his neck, then looked at her arm. It was a normal elleth's arm. It didn't look all that strong. "How did you immobilised me earlier? I am physically stronger than you are, yet I couldn't get out of your grip..."

"_ Because I don't have any strength in my arms, Alkien taught me how to use adversaries' weight, bone and muscles' structure against him." She explained. "I just put your arm in a position that disabled you to use your strength."

There was a moment of silence.

Elrohir grinned.

"_ You fight better than I expected." he told her.

"_ And you are less smart than I expected." she answered. Sui lowered her knife, took a step back and took her eyes off the twin to put her knife back under her shirt. Before she was done placing her knife where it belonged, Elrohir grabbed her head and pressed his lips against hers. Sui was caught out of guard. She didn't like being caught out of guard. So, she bit his lower lip. She bit his lip hard. Until she could feel its soft tissues shred under her teeth and feel a warm liquid flow down her chin.

Elrohir pulled away as soon as she had loosen the grip on his lip. He was astonished. He wiped the blood off his lip with a hand then stared at the blood on it, shocked.

Sui wiped the blood that was on her chin and licked what was left on her lips, then laughed and left to join the others with the fruits as though nothing had happened.

"_ You took your time." complained the blond prince.

"_ If you wanted things done faster, you should have done them yourself." answered the elleth. She sat down and spread the freshly cut fruits on the grass. Elrohir sat far from her, behind his brother, a hand hiding his lip. He looked at the elleth who was biting with ardour in a deformed yellow and violet fruit. His body tensed: he could still feel her teeth plunge into his lip. She had bit it the same way she was biting the fruit now and it had tear just as easily.

"_ Elrohir." called Elladan. "What happened to your lip?"

Elrohir looked at Sui. She had obviously heard the question but didn't seem to care much about what he was going to answer. Maybe she was certain he wouldn't answer the truth. But maybe she actually didn't care. She didn't even taker her eyes off the fruit when she heard the question. _'What a strange elf.' _thought Elrohir.

"_ An accident." he started. "We had a small argument in the forest and my lip was bitten." he told his brother as if it was all normal.

The three other ellyn all turned to look at the Avari.

"__ Vhat ?_"she said, mouth still full. "Like fe faid, it vas an accident." She took another bite of the fruit.

"_ Sui..." Olion sighed. "You can't just go around and bite princes' lips off."

Elladan looked at Elrohir who smirked at him. The younger twin understood that his older brother was testing the elleth. Elladan smirked back at his brother. He had to admit, all this agitation was entertaining in the most unusual way: Sui didn't seem to regret nor even to understand how badly she could be punished because of her actions, Olion was trying to scold her without infuriating her and Legolas didn't even know what to say any more.

"_ If he can go around kissing random people when he pleases, I can go around and bite princes' lips off." snapped back elleth.

"_ Kiss?" said Legolas grimacing. "Why would you kiss her? What is wrong with both of you?!" screamed the prince.

"_ I felt like it on the moment." Elrohir paused. "It wasn't the best idea I had, I have to admit." He turned to look at Sui. "I am sorry about that. I never taught you would reject me, otherwise, I wouldn't have tried at all."

"_ Ellith usually don't reject us." explained Elladan.

"_ That is because you are princes. THEIR PRINCES, not mine." She looked at the three princes. "If you want to be respected or admired by an Avari elleth, you have to prove your strength to her before you can even think about trying to court her." she said, finishing her fruit.

"_ And are we supposed to all fight you for you to talk to us with the respect you **owe** us?" snapped Legolas, irritated. The cultural difference was huge: one didn't understand why she should respect people because of their titles and the other one wouldn't accept not being recognised as someone important when it was his birth right.

"_ Yes." she calmly answered. "Would you like to provoke me in a duel?" asked the elleth, already reaching for her knife.

Olion smacked the back of both Sui and Legolas's head.

"_ Shake hands and say you are sorry." ordered the red head.

"_ We aren't childre-"

Olion cut the elleth by smacking the back of her head one more time.

"_ Say you are sorry." repeated the lazy elf.

Sui extended her hand to Legolas who shook it hesitantly. Olion threw a glare at Legolas.

"_ I ..." started the blond prince still looking at Olion because afraid to receive another slap. "Am sorry." he finished. "It is just... I do not understand the way you function. It is frustrating..."

Sui shook hers shoulders. Olion slapped the back of her head, again; and looked at her expectantly.

"_ I ...am sorry too...I guess..." said the elleth.

"_ And?" insisted Olion.

"_ And?" repeated the elleth, not knowing what else there was to say. Olion held his hand up to slap the back of her head again. "AND" screamed the girl so that Olion would lower his hand and spare her. "The way you act frustrates me too." finished the girl.

Olion looked at her and hesitated to slap her head one more time. But he didn't. It seemed to him, that to her, what she had just said was an apology and he doubted that she could do any better.

"__ LY-VAIA!"_ grounded Alkien. The five elves jumped in surprise. Sui's face turned white. Alkien was standing tall, glaring daggers at them all."You shouldn't be here." He told everyone. "_You know it isn't safe and yet you put your life and theirs in danger."_ he told his daughter. The Captain spoke on an dangerously calm tone. He looked like a predator readying himself to tear his prey apart.

"_ It isn't her fault." started Legolas who pitied the girl at the moment: she had a lot to loose: her trainee-ship meant the world to her and she wouldn't be here if **he** hadn't constrained her to come along.

"I ordered her to come with us. She tried to talk me out of it, but I didn't listen." explained the prince. "I am the only one to blame. Please, do not penalise her for this."

Alkien listened very carefully but did not answer the prince.

"_ Pack everything NOW and go back to the Palace." he ordered to the ellyn. "_And you,_" he turned to Sui. "_Take a horse and go back to your tent. I will deal with you later." _


	17. Chapter 16: Mistakes?

**Chapter 16: Mistakes? Never one at a time**

Still breathing heavily, Sui slowly removed her right leg from Mhélir's naked shoulder while the hand he was using to hold her still a few seconds ago slid down her warm body to rest on the mattress. He laid there for a time, to recover from the physical effort he had just made. His partner was never easy to satisfy, he liked that about her, but having her climax when she was tensed, stressed and angry was harder than fighting the Colossal and Alkien at the same time, with no weapon, and two broken arms.

Once his respiratory rhythm stabilised, he used the little strength he had left to remove his relaxing member from the inside of the elleth's sex. As soon as the ellon was laying down near her, she closed her legs together and laid on her side, facing the tent's entrance, back to her friend.

Mhélir thought about wrapping her in his arm. It was the normal thing to do, for him, after having had sex with someone, but he remembered that she didn't like cuddling so just like she did to him, he turned his back to her and closed his eyes. It was late in the night and he needed to rest.

"_ I am going for a walk." said the girl sitting up. " I don't think I will be back when you wake up."

The green eyed Avari didn't answer. He was already half asleep.

The elleth grabbed a big shirt and put it on. It fell so low down her body that she could wear it as a dress. She then put on a pair of short that disappeared under the shirt, glanced at her sleeping friend a last time and exited the tent. She could tell the night was cold because of the fresh breeze making the few awake Avari out in the camp shiver, but she wasn't cold. Her body never warned her against dangerous weather. She thought going back inside to wear something that would be more appropriate for a windy late autumn night but she didn't want to wake Mhélir up, so she left the camp, barefoot, dressed as she was.

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* * *

Legolas had fought with his father once more when he had returned from his escapade with the twins and his other accomplices. Of course Alkien had told his father of the matter. The Captain was a responsible elf who seemed to always follow the rules and punish their disobedience. This action of denouncement, that he lived as a painful and complete betrayal, lead him to discover that his father, in his haste to find solutions and take good care of the Kinn-laï, had 'forgotten' to tell him that the orcs infesting their lands were not actually orcs but Hwenti. Another tribe of Avari. A hostile one. Or rather, a **more** hostile one, if that was possible.

Angry once more to having been left apart on the matter, stressed by the new development, and being unable to rest, he decided to take a walk in the King's garden. Hopefully, the cold and the peacefulness of the empty garden would help him relax.

Walking towards his mother's statue, he noticed that the trees' last leaves were fighting hard against the wind to stay in place. However many of them had already been shaken out of where they belonged and now laid dry and red on the ground. They cracked under his boots. The dramatic scenery broke his heart. He raised his head too look at the trees' top, hopping to see it still thickly covered with leaves. But before he had had the time to look at the tree's foliage, he saw something heavy fall from up high, and having exellent reflexes, he caught it.

"_ Sui!" said Legolas surprised, holding the elleth. She didn't answer. She hesitantly opened an eye, then the other. "Are you alright?"

She gesticulated so that he would put her down. Once both her feet touched the floor, she examined herself to make sure she wasn't hurt anywhere.

"_ I think ….I am fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine." she answered. She looked at him. "_That was close uh?_" She laughed.

Legolas squinted an eye. She smelled like liquor. Strong liquor.

"_ Are you drunk?" he asked.

She smiled, closed an eye firmly then opened it again. From Legolas's point of view it was like watching someone wink in slow motion.

"_ _Nope!_" she exclaimed, raising her index and failing to point at him with it. " Just slightly overly happy." She stumbled to the side and chuckled.

The prince raised a brow.

"_ Why were you drinking alone, in a tree, in the King's garden?"

"_ _Because..._" she tried to point at him again but this time, she dug her index in his arm. "I am celebrating Alkien," she closed her eyes "_My very attentive and loving and grumpy Guardian,_" she opened her eyes gain "NOT suspending my captain trainee-ship!" she half screamed. Legolas looked around to make sure that no one was around. Not because she wasn't allowed here, just because it would embarrassing for the elleth. "THANKS TO YOU!" She yelled before hugging him tightly and quickly releasing him. " Also I don't know how to tell Mhélir that I-" she searched for her words. "ALMOST" she yelled. "Slept with Elrohir right after I slept with him."

"_ Ah-...Wha-..." Legolas face palmed himself. "Why would you do that?!Why would you let Elrohir..." He didn't know how to finish his sentence and wished he hadn't heard what she had said. Actually he wished it hadn't happened at all. There was something annoying about knowing that once more, the evil twin had had what he wanted.

"_ BECAUSE, when I am stressed, sex helps me relax and think more clearly..." She sat down the ground. "_Don't worry about me sweetheart_," she laughed "I know he doesn't have feelings for me, he didn't break my heart." She laughed some more.

Legolas sighed. _'How sweet...she thinks I worry for her when, really, it is Elrohir I am worried about...I know you can handle yourself little girl.'_ he thought listening to her laughing._ ''On the other hand I am not sure that he can handle the way __**you**__ treat people...' _

He chuckled. Seeing the elleth drunk and genuinely happy despite the circumstances was softening his mood.

"_ I would drown my sanity in alcohol too if I had 'almost slept' with Elrohir." joked the prince. Sui laughed harder. "Do you have any liquor left?"

"_ Oh YES!" (oh yes!) she yelled in Dwarvish. "There is plenty left!" she excitedly said in Quenya under the prince's astonished eyes. "But it is hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh up there."

"_ Shall we climb up then?" said the Silvan while helping the girl up.

"_ Ohoho!" She steadied herself by grabbing his arm. "_Let me guess_." she thought for a second. "Unresolved sexual issues?" she asked him.

Surprised he opened his mouth but didn't say anything right away.

"_ I wanted to drink because of the passive aggressive relationship I have with my father." started the ellon. He growled a little. "But thank you for giving me another good reason to drink." He laughed at himself.

"_ _WAIT!"_ shouted the girl. "I thought you had two ellith after your _gweth?!_" she shamelessly exclaimed.

Legolas's jaw dropped open at the mention of his penis. She could have used a less pictorial sentence. He sighed and rubbed his hands against his face. He had hopped she would have forgotten about having seen him with Unel in the woods days ago.

"_ No!" he shouted "Aaah by Varda!" He sighed. "I do not wish to discuss it. Let us just... climb that tree and drink to our..."

"_ Our improbable, disturbing and indescribable situations?" completed Sui, proud of having found the 'perfect' adjectives to describe both of their cases at once.

"_ Yes, that." agreed the prince.

* * *

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* * *

Legolas stretched. He had slept deeper than expected the past night. More accurately: he passed out. His body was sore from having slept on the ground: on rocks, dead leaves and drying grass. Except for his little finger that simply and purely hurt. He didn't know how he had ended up down there when the last thing he remembered was sitting high up in a tree. With Sui.

Sui? He tilted his head to the side when he realised that she was nowhere near him. Where was she? He was surrounded by bushes further away from where he had been drinking the previous night. He stood up. Perhaps she wasn't too far away. Or she hadn't fallen alseep there and went back to her camp. He doubted that, she couldn't even stand on her own.

"_ Morning, sunshine." said the elleth with a hoarse voice before chuckling at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Legolas looked around but couldn't see her.

"_ Where are you?" asked the prince.

Sui jumped off the branch she was sitting on and gave Legolas a fruit, then finished the one she had already started. Legolas sat down to eat the fruit and Sui sat with him to eat another.

"_What happened last night? I don't recall everything..." He sighed and lowered his head. He felt as though a hammer was hitting his brain. Hard.

"_ I don't remember much either." answered the elleth shaking her shoulders.

Legolas sighed. He tried to move his little finger in vain, then sighed again.

"_ I can't move my little finger..I think it might be broken..."

"_ Oh it IS broken." answered Sui before taking another bite of her apple. "I broke it." She took another bite of her apple and Legolas furrowed a brow while processing the information.

"_What?!" He held both hands' palm up, dropping his fruit. "Why would you do that?"

"_ I don't remember." she said calmly. "But you probably deserved it." She pointed at his other arm. "The bite marks there aren't mine though."

Legolas looked at his other arm. He indeed had bite marks on it. The jaw that did that was too small to be elven, and the teeth too pointy. He sighed.

"_ Squirrels..."

"_ Legolas?" called the elleth. The prince raised his head to look at her. "Do you happen to have any healing skills?"

"_ If I had any I would have healed my finger. Why do you ask?"

"_ Because of my hand, obviously." replied the elleth holding her hand up for him to look at it. There was a decent sized piece of wood planted in it and he hadn't noticed it until now.

"_ How- That looks so painful." commented the prince, biting his lips, imagining he was feeling this pain.

"_ Yeah," started the Avari, "It does look quite painful." She looked at it then poked the wood.

"_ AH!" whined the Silvan, shaking. "Don't do that! Don't poke it, don't touch it!It will widen the wound and bleed otherwise." He bit his lip again. "How did that happen?"

The elleth raised brow and furrowed the other.

"_ You really don't remember much, do you?" The prince shook his head. "You planted it there."

"_WHAT?" shouted Legolas.

"_ _Aye, I swear you did._ You admitted thinking that I was only pretending to not feel pain. So I told you to do this to prove you wrong." She the poked the piece of wood once more, making the prince shiver. "And you did." She looked up to look at him in the eyes. "Good job. It went all the way through. And I didn't feel any pain." She flipped her hand around to show him the end of the wood peaking out on the other side, covered in dry blood.

The elleth laughed. Legolas looked at her, perplex, for a second then laughed along with her. She was probably the only person on the planet to laugh because of such a thing.

"_ It seems like last night was a lot of fun...haha"

The elleth nodded to what the prince had just said.

"_ We should drink together more often." She smiled. "You aren't so bad of a prince-faced elf when drunk!" She laughed.

Legolas had missed his guard watch on the wall the previous day. Once they had gotten back to the castle, after the stroll with the twins, the blond prince went to talk to his father and since then, neither Olion, nor any one else, had seen him. Now, Olion had to find his 'prince-faced' friend in order to drag him to the archery for the morning's training session. Missing it " would be the last thing he will do" said the Avari Captain, with who Galdor agreed.

Having looked everywhere: in the kitchen, his room, Nellil's apartments and even having knocked at Unel's door, Olion went to the king's garden thinking that if the Silvan wasn't there, he would give up on him and go back. He couldn't miss the training or he would become the Captains' target.

"_ There you are!" screamed the red head as soon as he saw the top of a blond head, popping out of bushes. For once, his hair was messy and leaves were caught in it at some places. The blond head slowly turned around to look at Olion who was approaching.

"_ Morning." mumbled the prince, before turning back around to finish applying a paste made of healing plants and water found in the garden on Sui's hand.

She was passively laying down, on the ground, holding her hand up to Legolas for him to take care of it. Olion hadn't seen her until he came close to were the prince was sitting because she was hidden by the bushes.

"_ Sui?!" exclaimed the lazy elf. "Wait!" He paused and stared at the two other elves for a while. "Please, DON' T tell me you spent the night together!" He came to stand near his friends. "By the Valar! You reek of liquor!" he complained.

"_ Nooooo, we didn't spend the night together!" exclaimed Legolas once he was done with the elleth's hand. " She is just an elfling! What were you thinking?!"

"_ Hey, according to YOUR laws, I am of age." shouted Sui. "I am a lot older than I look. I am 276 years old, you know. " said the girl, sitting up. "_Did they really think a young child would have boobs like those?!_" she told to herself.

The only word they understood was 'boobs'.

Both ellon lowered their eyes to look at her breast for a second before realising it wasn't appropriate. They looked at each other embarrassed. She did have a generous breast size. Too generous to be as young as they thought she was, indeed, and they had never noticed before. Did she even have breast when they had met her the first time? It was like all of sudden, to their eyes, she was an elleth and not a silly elfling playing to be a grown up.

"_ I thought you weren't even 50 years old..." admitted Olion. " Wait, you are older than Mhéléane...incredible. You look a lot younger than she is."

Sui growled. She did look younger than her friend. But that was only because she hadn't lived as many things as Mhéléane did. Mhéléane's childhood had been sad and difficult while hers had always been easy. She was raised by her parents with her 5 brothers, in a merry and enriching environment, until her accident. Then she was entrusted to Alkien so that he could help her with her anger issues. Also, he was the only one who agreed to teach her how to fight despite her condition. He had grown so attached to her that he even created a new type of training so that she could learn the art of combat without being hurt.

"_ Never mind that..." she looked away for a second. "And to answer your question, yes. We did spend the night together. I don't know why _prince-face_ lied."

Olion looked at Legolas, eyes wide open, waiting for an explanation.

"_ We DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" screamed the prince, panicked.

"_ We don't know that..haha" laughed the elleth, enjoying the sight of the blond elf who was wearing his least attractive facial expression on his face at the moment.

"_ What is that supposed to mean!?" asked Olion, still in shock, and slightly disgusted by the thought of his two friends doing...'things'... together. "Wait! I don't want to hear it!"

"_ We were drunk, okay!" exclaimed the prince. "We don't remember every details of last night but seeing out it ended," he showed the elleth's hand and his broken finger to Olion. "I am certain that NOTHING happened." He gave a small tap to Sui on the head because she was laughing. "Stop giving people the WRONG idea!"

Reassured, Olion could breathe again.

"_ Anyway...I came here because the training is about to start and you aren't in either one of the two Captains' bright side at the moment...You have to be there." said the red head.

Legolas growled then stood up. Sui pretended that she hadn't heard anything, laid back down and rolled on her side so that her back would be facing her friends.

"_ I believe Alkien is mad at you too..." started the Silvan. The girl didn't move. "You should come with us..." He added. She didn't move. "Now..." he insisted nicely.

"_ In case you hadn't noticed, little _dwarf troll,_ I am ignoring you at the moment and do not plan on going anywhere any time soon." answered the elleth.

"_ You can't just lay here all day." told Legolas to the girl. One second she was being friendly, teasing him and the other she was cold. The prince wondered if one day he would ever be able to understand the logic in her behaviour.

"_ Watch me." she answered.

The two ellon exchanged a look, shook their heads in disapproval then left.

* * *

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* * *

"_ Captain." Albien executed the wood elves military salute to Galdor, then looked at his father. "_Father, may I interrupt you a moment? It won't take long._"

Alkien nodded.

"_ Excuse us a moment." told the Giant to the other Captain before leaving the table at which they were sitting. _"What is it?"_

"__ It is Sui, Father." _started growled._ "It is almost the end of lunch time and she hasn't come to me for food yet and the afternoon training will start soon."_

The Giant sighed and started to massage his temples. He could feel the previous night's headache coming back."

"__ She isn't showing up because I told her, last night, that I didn't want to see her today. If I do before I calm down, I fear I will-"_

"__ __Father, breathe._" cut Albien, seeing that his father was getting angry only thinking about it. After all, it was the second time she had gone running in woods infested with Hwenti. Was her brain able to learn anything about survival at all? _"I will wait until the sun sets. If she doesn't come around, I will go look for her."_

"__ Do not go look for her." _ordered the Giant._"Let her be. I want her to get used to being on her own." _He put a hand on his son's shoulder_. "You were right," _He looked at Albien_. "We treated her like a child, and now she has gotten used to having people, us, taking care of her. With what is coming...this needs to stop." _

Albien nodded.

* * *

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* * *

"_ Where is my sister?" asked the curly Avari, on a serious tone, his face closed. He had appeared out of no where in front of the two elves who were trying to avoid trouble and eat their lunch in peace.

Olion and Legolas weren't sure what to answer. Should they tell him she was just lazing around, in the king's private garden, with a brand new deep wound, in a bad mood and probably still hung over?

"_ How...would we know?" replied Legolas, attempting to lie.

"_ I know you know." answered Albien, looking at Olion. "And if you don't," he turned to look at the prince "You better do." He spoke so calmly that it almost didn't sound like a threat.

The two wood elves exchanged a look. What was the right thing to do?

"_ I do not think she wants to be found." said the prince, hesitantly.

"_ I do not care what she wants at the moment." replied Albien. "Tell me where she is. She and I need to talk. Urgently."

Legolas thought about it for a second. She had 'almost slept with Elrohir'. Whatever that meant, she did need someone to talk some sense into her.

"_ She is sleeping in my father's garden."

* * *

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* * *

Sui woke up on her mattress, in her tent. She didn't how her body had moved there. Maybe she had sleep-walked back to her tent. That would be a new development.

"__ How are you doing?" _

She instantly recognised the masculine familiar voice.

"__ Hmm..."_ she growled. _"still slightly hungover."_ She moved in her bed to make herself more comfortable. The inside of the tent was dark. It seemed that she had slept all day and the sun had left his throne for the moon to sit in.

Albien who had found her sleeping in the grass had brought her here and since then, had been cleaning her room because it was a mess and he couldn't think in messy environments but had a lot of thinking to do.

He finished folding the last dirty piece of clothing that he had found on the floor, put it on top of the pile he had made with the elleth's dirty laundry then went to sit down near his sister, on the mattress. As soon as he sat down, she took his hand, and with hers, she started playing with his fingers. It cooled her down and reminded her of the good old time, when she wasn't more than 10 and she arm-wrestled with her brothers: she used her arm and they used a finger or two. She always lost. They said that letting her win would teach her nothing.

"_ _I need you to grow up."_ started Albien. _"Father and I need you to grow up."_ he corrected.

"__ Where does that come f_r-"

"__ WE,"_ he cut her. "_Need you to calm down."_ He sighed. _"You have to do learn to manage your anger and start making GOOD decisions._" He was looking at her face but she was still staring at his hand. _"Next time one of your 'friends' have a brilliant idea that goes against the rules, come to me before doing anything reckless."_

"__ I-"_

"__ NO."_ yelled the ellon, taking his hand away from hers. _"You have no more excuses. Do not disappoint me again." _he added calmly.

That said, he stood up and left as if in a haste. He probably still had some work to do.

A cold, unpleasant sensation slowly went through the elleth's body. Guilt. She should have known how to handle the situation.


	18. Chapter 17: Playing the other

**Chapter 17: Playing the other**

The 'gang' was supposed to meet in the castle's kitchen but so far, only Sui was on time. Not sure if as an Avari and a 'low elf', according to the others, she had the right to be there by herself, she hid under the table and listened to the random people who came in and out. It seemed that gossiping wasn't only Olion and Legolas's hobby, but all wood elves's. They talked about who did what, when and where and we who. Surprisingly, her name came up often enough. It seemed that the whole realm had heard about the "efling" their beloved prince disliked so much, or not at all, depending on who was talking.

Spying that way on wood elves actually helped her to understand a lot of things about them. She learned that they could only marry once. She thought it was ridiculous. They could only marry **one** person. She thought it was even more ridiculous. And their libido was really low: sex was something you should only do with the one person you married. That was preposterous and was stupid. What about Legolas? From her point of view it seemed like he had it going: he had the cutest of all as fiancée, there was no way he was not making the best out of it. He also had that other elleth who was gorgeous, even more than Mhéléane. She noted that she would have to question him more about the matter.

Unel? they said she was called. Quite a few servant talked about her. It seemed like they didn't like her very much. Not that she wasn't a nice person, just that jealousy prevented them to do so. True. She had it all: beauty, skills, status, ellon courting her and was the prince's ex.

"_Ex...haha. If only they knew that two weeks ago they were cuddling and kissing in the woods."_ thought the Avari.

Someone who's boots she recognised finally came in.

"_ Don't wood elves know the time?" she sarcastically asked Legolas.

"_ We said that we would meet for lunch, didn't we?" asked the prince. Sui nodded. "Well it is lunch time, now." he said, helping her out from under the table. He didn't bother asking why she was there. The answer would probably be too strange for him to assimilate.

"_ No, it isn't!" she argued. "It is almost second lunch time."

"_ Second lunch time?" The blond elf raised a brow. "There is no such thing as a 'second lunch time'."

"_ Do you really expect me to believe that you only have ONE lunch?" asked the elleth.

"_ I don't how many meals a day Avari have, but we have three. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner" explained the wood elf.

"_ That isn't much ...we have five." said the girl.

"_ Did Elrohir count as your fifth lunch, the day before yesterday?" teased the Silvan.

Sui, who was now sitting on a chair, near the prince, put her head on the table, and her hands on the back of her head.

"_ Arg!" she whined. "If there is one thing I wish I hadn't done, it is pushing him on his damned bed and climbing on top of him." Legolas chuckled, so she pinched him. "It is not funny. Not funny at all. I think I gave him the wrong idea by rubbing myself against him..."

"_ Do you not like him?"

"_ NO!" shouted the elleth. "No, no, no." She paused. "NO." she added. "He is a good party: his body is strong, yet flexible and according to his brother he knows how to use a sword better than most, but...I just..." She tilted her head to the side. "NO! I just can't see him inside of me, if you know what I mean." Legolas laughed out loud. She talked like the men he had met in Gondor taverns when she was only that little thing with wild curly hair on the head. She sighed. "At least, I stopped things early enough."

"_ Early enough?" asked the prince, both because he was curious and because he didn't understand what she meant exactly.

"_ Well, let's just say that our pants never came off so I never saw him use 'his sword'." She touched her hand, where the wound was as if to check if it hurt. It didn't. "It was hard t-"

"_ STOP!" shouted the prince. "You can stop, right there. I do not wish to hear any more details on the matter." Sui laughed. Legolas tried not to think about Elrohir's 'hard sword'. "Did you tell Mhélir about all this?"Sui put her head back on the table. "I take it you didn't..."

"_ She didn't what?" asked Olion, who had just entered the kitchen, followed close by the twins.

"_ I didn't follow his advice about washing my hair with cold water after having applied a mixture of avocado, olive oil and raw eggs on it." lied the elleth.

The three ellon who had arrived sat down: Olion in front of Legolas, Elrohir in front of Sui and Elladan in between the Avari and his brother.

"_ You should though," started the red head. "Your hair would shine more and be softer."

"_ I don't mind them being the way they are now." said the Avari rolling her eyes.

"_ Avari do not have the same beauty criteria that we have, do they?" asked Elladan.

"_ We don't really have beauty criteria, I have to admit..." She pause to think. "Being beautiful is not as highly regarded as it is for wood elves. Neither ellith nor ellyn court someone because they are beautiful. It doesn't matter to us what our partner looks like as long as they are a good fighter." She explained.

"_ Are you considered beautiful for Avari standards?" asked Elrohir.

Sui shook her shoulders.

"_ Not really." she scratched her neck. " I am too small for Avari standards, and my body isn't strong enough, I think." She paused to think again. "But I am not considered ugly either. I am just?normal, I guess."

"_ Yet, you share your bed with Mhélir." started Elladan

"_ Who, even for our standards, is a handsome ellon." completed Elrohir.

"_ Because, like I said, for us, it doesn't matter what we look like. Only our fighting abilities count." repeated Sui.

"_ But...you are only a trainee, and he is warrior." said Olion.

"_ He even is the best of his month!" added the elleth. " And, yes, I am only a trainee, but I was trained almost exclusively by Alkien and Geldrik all my life." She smiled. "That makes me a high class trainee." she bragged.

"_ Yet, you do not know how to hold a sword." teased the prince.

She pinched him.

"_ Swords are heavy." she growled. "They slow you down and restrain the range of movements, offensive and defensive, that you can do." she justified. "They do not allow you to use the full potential of your body."

* * *

LATER, STILL IN THE KITCHEN

* * *

"_ You must be the only being, on the whole of middle-earth, who does not like Lady Nellil!" exclaimed the twins at the same time. "She is an exquisite elleth." They both turned to look at Legolas. "It is a shame she was betrothed to him." they added, still in unison.

"_ Where is your betrothed by the way?" asked Olion. "I haven't seen her for a small while. Is she still hiding from her maids to wander around in the Avari camp?"

"_ The last time I saw her was two nights ago, before her governantes threw me out of her apartments..." The Silvan shivered. "Those governantes are ruthless." He bit his lips remembering how violently they had kicked him out. "I should have them join my unit. They would be better warriors than the elves in it now." He chuckled then crossed his arms. "I wonder what she is doing now."

"_ Flirting with Albien, I expect." said the Avari.

"_ WHAT?!" screamed the blond prince. The brown headed princes laughed.

"_ Aah! You have noticed too?" asked Olion to the elleth.

Sui hit the table with one hand.

"_ Of course I have noticed! When he is not working nor training he is with her!" she exclaimed. "I hate it!"

"_ What do they do together all day long ?" questioned Legolas, annoyed.

"_ You should calm down." started Elladan. "Your betrothed loves mysteries."

"_ He is probably only helping her solving the mystery that Avari are." finished Elrohir.

Legolas relaxed his muscles a little bit. It made sense.

"_ NOT AT ALL!" yelled the elleth. "He told me that he was teaching her how to ride." She grinned. "But he never precised **what** and seeing how tired he has been the past few days..." she added, not finishing her sentence so that Legolas's imagination would run wild.

Legolas jumped off his chair to stand.

"_What is that supposed to mean?!" he asked, panicked. Also, anger was now peaking through his tone.

The twins chuckled and exchanged a mischievous look.

"_ Well, they do hang out a lot...and alone." said Elldan

"_ And judging by your facial expression, she has been hiding it all from you. " added Elrohir.

"_ He told me that she made him lunch, once." Sui shook her head. "It is such a cheesy thing to do." she commented.

"_ Cooking for someone else is not cheesy." said the Silvan, trying to defend his Lady's actions. "It is an affectionate gesture."

"_ See," said the elleth smirking. "Even YOU agree she bears affection for my _brother_."

"_NO!" yelled the blond elf. "I meant 'affectionate' as in FRIENDLY and..." He searched for a convincing way to finish his sentence but find none. "By Varda! Where are they, now?"

All of his friends shook their shoulders to say that they didn't know. Exasperated, jealous and worried, the blond prince left the kitchen in a hurry in order to find his fiancée. As soon as he was out of sight, all of the elves sitting in the kitchen burst in laughters.

"_ I am amazed at how gullible he is." said Olion, still laughing.

* * *

·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·

* * *

Alkien had been given an office. A proper office in the castle. It looked exactly like the one Galdor had, with furniture made in strong wood, a large window and a balcony, but in slightly bigger. It was were Sui took care of the administration work when the Captain was too busy to do so.

The elleth sighed and looked around the room. No one. Just the wind and the last sunbeams of this ending day. She sighed again. And looked at the desk. It was impeccable. No dust, no crumbs, no paper peaking out of the pile. No wonder why she couldn't concentrate in the middle of such a loud perfection.

She thought about moving everything, create a small comfortable chaos of her own. Then she realised that she would have to put everything back where it belonged if she did so, but didn't wish to give herself more work than she already had. Also, Alkien was still angry at her: he hadn't talked to her since the last incident and would certainly behead her if he came back to disorganised office.

She quickly finished filling the last form she had to take care of, put it in the file she had taken it out from, opened the drawer in which she had found the file and realised there was another orange file. Another one she was supposed to read, verify, fill, and have signed by Alkien. It was surely Alkien's way to punish her: boring paper work.

She took it out and opened it. First form: food and drinks inventory and order confirmation. _'Whoever made the orders must have been really hungry and thirsty at the moment because we will never consume that many goods in two weeks.'_ Second form: weapons inventory. _'That general training is a waist of arrows and a real economic gulf_' Third form: Births Reports. _'Who was dumb enough to come here pregnant when all this could have ended in a war?!'_ Fourth forms: _Spying mission. _

"_ SPYING?!" shouted the elleth. That, was certainly misplaced in a moment of intention in one of her orange files. She turned the first page to read the second one and find out what that was all about.

"_ Okay! You've got me!" exclaimed a familiar voice. "Please, do not press a knife under my neck a second time. It was scary enough the first time"

She jumped in her sit and put the paper away. She had been caught looking at something she definitely should have not been looking at by Elrohir, who thought she had caught him spying on her when she had no idea he had been hiding on the balcony.

"_ How long have you been out there?" asked the elleth, pretending she had actually caught him red handed.

"_ Only a minute or two." replied the twin. She furrowed a brow. "I never meant to spy on you, though. I wanted to spy on your brother."

Sui raised the brow she had previously furrowed.

"_ You wanted to spy on Albien?" She found it hard to believe. Albien never did any thing out of the ordinary. He was like his father, a workaholic. "Then come back here in two hours. He will come around to double check my work of the day."

"_ I tell you that I would like to spy on your brother and you tell me when and where I can find him." Elrohir opened both eyes wide. " Either he is part of those people who have nothing to hide, in which case, I am no longer interested in observing him to gather information on his person, or you are trying to trick me into thinking he has nothing to hide." He came close to desk the elleth was sitting at. "Which one is it?"

"_ The first one." answered Sui without hesitation.

"_ Oh." said the twin, disappointed. "Then I must find myself a new occupation until the night comes." He sat on the desk and looked into Sui's brown eyes. "Would you like to be my occupation?"

"_ No." She gave him a cold glance then started putting away all the forms back in the orange file, including the intriguing one, in the order in which she had found them. Hopefully, Alkien would think that she had never opened that file when he will realise what was inside. "The other night, was the first and last time we ever kissed, or did anything more than friends would do."

"_ Should I understand that Mhélir is more than a friend to you ?" asked Elrohir with a cocky smile on his face.

Sui stood up, put her hands on the desk and brought her face close to Elrohir's.

"_ Why do you ask? Would you be jealous if I had feelings for him?" replied the elleth. If Elrohir wanted to play games, she would play along and crush him.

"_ Good answer." said the prince, changing position to copy hers. "What if I answered that I would be jealous?"

"_ Well," started the elleth, a malicious smile on the corner of her lips. "If you were to answer that, I would be constrained to tell you to learn to live with it because your feelings would be unwanted and non-reciprocal."

"_ Ouch." he said calmly, bringing his left hand to his heart, making his way around the desk to come closer to the elleth. "I am deeply wounded by the fact that you would reject me so brutally."

"_ Don't take it personally." She took a step closer to him, reducing the space in between them to only a few centimetres. "The reason why a 'crush' is called a crush is because someone always gets crushed at the end. And it just so happens that it would be you."

They stared at each other. A minute passed.

Elrohir made the first move and grabbed her waist to pull her closer, so that they bodies would touch. He was slowly reducing the space in between their faces. His hands were shaking. Her gaze on him was both cold and flirtatious, there was no telling if she was going to let herself be kissed like two nights ago or if she was going to tear the skin off his lip a second time. Trying to kiss someone had never felt so dangerous before. It was all the more exciting.

When only a few mini-meters were left in between their lips, Elrohir froze. She gave him no indication to stop but she gave none to keep going either. What was he supposed to do?

Sui smirked. She liked feeling that she was in control. She grabbed the prince's collar and forced him to sit on the desk, being careful not to disrupt the piles of paper. She spread his legs apart just enough for her to be able to stand in between them and without looking at him in the eyes, she kissed him. As they tongues tangled together, she ran a hand under his shirt.

When he regained his composure, Elrohir brought his hands up to hold the Avari's face only to have them violently pushed away.

Sui pulled out. She had realised what she was doing: amistake. She faced palmed herself and when Elrohir tried to kiss her again she put the palm of her hand on his mouth and pushed his face away, then walked out.

* * *

AT THE SAME TIME, IN THE STABLES

* * *

Legolas was brushing his horse, waiting fro Nellil and Albien to come back from their riding lesson. He had been waiting there during the whole afternoon.

He wasn't sure what he disliked the most: that she did not tell him about it, that she didn't bother to ask him for help. Maybe it was that she was spending so much time with an Avari ellon. He wanted to be THE elf in her life, the one on who she could rely, and despite his efforts to grow closer to her, he sometimes felt that the gap between them was growing bigger.

The stables' doors opened. He could hear Nellil laugh and say something in Avari tongue. Not understanding what she had said he decided that he would start working on his Avari more seriously.

The back of the stables was dark, and from where Nellil and Albien where, they could not see Legolas. However, Albien had suddenly stopped the horse and was motioning for the princess to stay behind him. He scrutinized the room with his keen eyes. FellSvogee being an underground forest, Avari where used to being in the dark. The sun only reached the depth of their cave when at its paroxysm. They usually spent most of the day in the dark.

"_ Whoever you are," started the tall Avari, making himself taller. "I advise you to show yourself."

Legolas moved from behind his horse then left the shadows to appear in the light. Albien bowed to him with a movement of the head and relaxed his body. The Avari took the horse's reins and started walking towards it's stall, leaving the princess and her future husband together.

The blond elleth wasn't smiling any more. She knew Legolas was feeling betrayed. She bit her lower lip, held her left hand with her right hand and looked down. She didn't know what to say and even if she had known what to say, she wouldn't know where to begin.

Legolas wasn't sure how to handle things either. He couldn't get angry at her like he would with any one else because something about her disarmed him completely. He couldn't just let go of the matter either though: if they were to build a life, and perhaps a family, together, she had to learn to trust him, completely and without hesitation. But then again, how could he ask her to trust him when as soon as she was looking the other way he was letting his mind wander under Unel's clothes.

"_ I will be honest: I am hurt." said the prince. " Why would you hide this from me? Why didn't you ask **me** to teach you?"

He came closer to her to take her hands into his. She dared to look up, inside his eyes. She came closer and put a head on Legolas's torso then closed her eyes.

"_ ...sorry." she mumbled. "I know I should have at least told you."

Albien, at the back of the stables sighed. The scene he was currently witnessing was silly to him. He wanted to leave and take care of urgent business but since they were standing in front of the entrance, he couldn't. So, pretending that he was neither hearing nor seeing the other elves solving their couple issues, he started cleaning the horse.

"_ Why didn't you tell me you wanted to learn to ride? " asked the Silvan. "And you know I do not approve of you being alone with Avari people." he added before remembering that Albien was somewhere, behind. " I mean no offence to you, Sir Albien. It isn't personal." he yelled for the Avari to hear.

"_ None was taken." yelled back the dark elf. "I do not like my sister alone with wood elves either." he added. " But you may take it personally if you wish, because it is." told the Avari to the prince, on his usual calm tone.

Nellil held a mocking smile and Legolas, who wasn't expecting such an answer, turned his head around to look at the Avari but it was too dark. Judging by his tone, his face was probably just as expressionless as usual. The Silvan was not offended though. What the Avari had said was not meant as a provocation; it was only a statement. Besides, it was justified: every time Sui had been in trouble in woodland realm, he had been involved in one way or another.

"_ I didn't ask you because I thought you would be against me learning." said the elleth. The prince brought his attention back to her.

"_ Against? It is only about learning how to ride a horse." replied the prince.

"_ No...there is more to it." Nellil looked at Albien for help but he was back to actively ignoring them. "Sir Albien is also teaching me self-defence and how to shoot with a bow."

Legolas's face darkened. He pulled away from her.

"_ Your father was clear when he told me that, as your future husband, **I** should make sure that you will NOT, EVER, have to use a weapon nor have to worry about your safety." started the prince, speaking on a higher tone than he had ever dared to use with his betrothed before. "Should I understand that you do not trust me with your safety? Do you not think that **I** can protect you?"

"_ I am sure you can!" shouted the elleth. "I would just like to be more capable. To be able **to take care of myself like every one else.**" Nellil spoke on the same tone Legolas had used. " Albien's sister was right when she said I was s**ugar-coat**ed. It is true. I never had to do anything by myself." She tuned the palm of her hands up and extended her arms horizontally in all their length. "Look at the result.!" she exclaimed. " I didn't even know how to climb on a horse without someone helping me." She bit her lower lip. " I NEED to become independent. I need to for myself and for you. I will not stop learning all this. Not for my Father. Nor even for you." She locked her blue eyes with his. "But I would like you to support me in this." She took a step towards him and soften her facial expression. "**You, **could even teach me if you would like." She gently took his hand.

Legolas swallowed his saliva and looked at her. What she had said made sense. It wasn't about him at all, and was even less about the Avari. It was all about her, and for once, she had the right to be selfish. He tightened his grip on her hand as his heart started beating faster.

He pulled his hands away from hers.

"_ I cannot support you in this." he said not daring to look at her because he knew he was being unfair. "Your father wouldn't want me to, and he trusts me with you. I cannot betray him, he could take you away from me."

Legolas left the stables. Nellil's eyes started to tear.

Chapter 17: Mind Games

12th 

The 'gang' was supposed to meet in the castle's kitchen but so far, only Sui was on time. Not sure if as an Avari and a 'low elf', according to the others, she had the right to be there by herself, she hid under the table and listened to the random people who came in and out. It seemed that gossiping wasn't only Olion and Legolas's hobby, but all wood elves's. They talked about who did what, when and where and we who. Surprisingly, her name came up often enough. It seemed that the whole realm had heard about the "efling" their beloved prince disliked so much, or not at all, depending on who was talking.

Spying that way on wood elves actually helped her to understand a lot of things about them. She learned that they could only marry once. She thought it was ridiculous. They could only marry **one** person. She thought it was even more ridiculous. And their libido was really low: sex was something you should only do with the one person you married. That was preposterous and was stupid. What about Legolas? From her point of view it seemed like he had it going: he had the cutest of all as fiancée, there was no way he was not making the best out of it. He also had that other elleth who was gorgeous, even more than Mhéléane. She noted that she would have to question him more about the matter.

Unel? they said she was called. Quite a few servant talked about her. It seemed like they didn't like her very much. Not that she wasn't a nice person, just that jealousy prevented them to do so. True. She had it all: beauty, skills, status, ellon courting her and was the prince's ex.

"_Ex...haha. If only they knew that two weeks ago they were cuddling and kissing in the woods."_ thought the Avari.

Someone who's boots she recognised finally came in.

"_ Don't wood elves know the time?" she sarcastically asked Legolas.

"_ We said that we would meet for lunch, didn't we?" asked the prince. Sui nodded. "Well it is lunch time, now." he said, helping her out from under the table. He didn't bother asking why she was there. The answer would probably be too strange for him to assimilate.

"_ No, it isn't!" she argued. "It is almost second lunch time."

"_ Second lunch time?" The blond elf raised a brow. "There is no such thing as a 'second lunch time'."

"_ Do you really expect me to believe that you only have ONE lunch?" asked the elleth.

"_ I don't how many meals a day Avari have, but we have three. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner" explained the wood elf.

"_ That isn't much ...we have five." said the girl.

"_ Did Elrohir count as your fifth lunch, the day before yesterday?" teased the Silvan.

Sui, who was now sitting on a chair, near the prince, put her head on the table, and her hands on the back of her head.

"_ Arg!" she whined. "If there is one thing I wish I hadn't done, it is pushing him on his damned bed and climbing on top of him." Legolas chuckled, so she pinched him. "It is not funny. Not funny at all. I think I gave him the wrong idea by rubbing myself against him..."

"_ Do you not like him?"

"_ NO!" shouted the elleth. "No, no, no." She paused. "NO." she added. "He is a good party: his body is strong, yet flexible and according to his brother he knows how to use a sword better than most, but...I just..." She tilted her head to the side. "NO! I just can't see him inside of me, if you know what I mean." Legolas laughed out loud. She talked like the men he had met in Gondor taverns when she was only that little thing with wild curly hair on the head. She sighed. "At least, I stopped things early enough."

"_ Early enough?" asked the prince, both because he was curious and because he didn't understand what she meant exactly.

"_ Well, let's just say that our pants never came off so I never saw him use 'his sword'." She touched her hand, where the wound was as if to check if it hurt. It didn't. "It was hard t-"

"_ STOP!" shouted the prince. "You can stop, right there. I do not wish to hear any more details on the matter." Sui laughed. Legolas tried not to think about Elrohir's 'hard sword'. "Did you tell Mhélir about all this?"Sui put her head back on the table. "I take it you didn't..."

"_ She didn't what?" asked Olion, who had just entered the kitchen, followed close by the twins.

"_ I didn't follow his advice about washing my hair with cold water after having applied a mixture of avocado, olive oil and raw eggs on it." lied the elleth.

The three ellon who had arrived sat down: Olion in front of Legolas, Elrohir in front of Sui and Elladan in between the Avari and his brother.

"_ You should though," started the red head. "Your hair would shine more and be softer."

"_ I don't mind them being the way they are now." said the Avari rolling her eyes.

"_ Avari do not have the same beauty criteria that we have, do they?" asked Elladan.

"_ We don't really have beauty criteria, I have to admit..." She pause to think. "Being beautiful is not as highly regarded as it is for wood elves. Neither ellith nor ellyn court someone because they are beautiful. It doesn't matter to us what our partner looks like as long as they are a good fighter." She explained.

"_ Are you considered beautiful for Avari standards?" asked Elrohir.

Sui shook her shoulders.

"_ Not really." she scratched her neck. " I am too small for Avari standards, and my body isn't strong enough, I think." She paused to think again. "But I am not considered ugly either. I am just?normal, I guess."

"_ Yet, you share your bed with Mhélir." started Elladan

"_ Who, even for our standards, is a handsome ellon." completed Elrohir.

"_ Because, like I said, for us, it doesn't matter what we look like. Only our fighting abilities count." repeated Sui.

"_ But...you are only a trainee, and he is warrior." said Olion.

"_ He even is the best of his month!" added the elleth. " And, yes, I am only a trainee, but I was trained almost exclusively by Alkien and Geldrik all my life." She smiled. "That makes me a high class trainee." she bragged.

"_ Yet, you do not know how to hold a sword." teased the prince.

She pinched him.

"_ Swords are heavy." she growled. "They slow you down and restrain the range of movements, offensive and defensive, that you can do." she justified. "They do not allow you to use the full potential of your body."

LATER, STILL IN THE KITCHEN

"_ You must be the only being, on the whole of middle-earth, who does not like Lady Nellil!" exclaimed the twins at the same time. "She is an exquisite elleth." They both turned to look at Legolas. "It is a shame she was betrothed to him." they added, still in unison.

"_ Where is your betrothed by the way?" asked Olion. "I haven't seen her for a small while. Is she still hiding from her maids to wander around in the Avari camp?"

"_ The last time I saw her was two nights ago, before her governantes threw me out of her apartments..." The Silvan shivered. "Those governantes are ruthless." He bit his lips remembering how violently they had kicked him out. "I should have them join my unit. They would be better warriors than the elves in it now." He chuckled then crossed his arms. "I wonder what she is doing now."

"_ Flirting with Albien, I expect." said the Avari.

"_ WHAT?!" screamed the blond prince. The brown headed princes laughed.

"_ Aah! You have noticed too?" asked Olion to the elleth.

Sui hit the table with one hand.

"_ Of course I have noticed! When he is not working nor training he is with her!" she exclaimed. "I hate it!"

"_ What do they do together all day long ?" questioned Legolas, annoyed.

"_ You should calm down." started Elladan. "Your betrothed loves mysteries."

"_ He is probably only helping her solving the mystery that Avari are." finished Elrohir.

Legolas relaxed his muscles a little bit. It made sense.

"_ NOT AT ALL!" yelled the elleth. "He told me that he was teaching her how to ride." She grinned. "But he never precised **what** and seeing how tired he has been the past few days..." she added, not finishing her sentence so that Legolas's imagination would run wild.

Legolas jumped off his chair to stand.

"_What is that supposed to mean?!" he asked, panicked. Also, anger was now peaking through his tone.

The twins chuckled and exchanged a mischievous look.

"_ Well, they do hang out a lot...and alone." said Elldan

"_ And judging by your facial expression, she has been hiding it all from you. " added Elrohir.

"_ He told me that she made him lunch, once." Sui shook her head. "It is such a cheesy thing to do." she commented.

"_ Cooking for someone else is not cheesy." said the Silvan, trying to defend his Lady's actions. "It is an affectionate gesture."

"_ See," said the elleth smirking. "Even YOU agree she bears affection for my _brother_."

"_NO!" yelled the blond elf. "I meant 'affectionate' as in FRIENDLY and..." He searched for a convincing way to finish his sentence but find none. "By Varda! Where are they, now?"

All of his friends shook their shoulders to say that they didn't know. Exasperated, jealous and worried, the blond prince left the kitchen in a hurry in order to find his fiancée. As soon as he was out of sight, all of the elves sitting in the kitchen burst in laughters.

"_ I am amazed at how gullible he is." said Olion, still laughing.

·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·

Alkien had been given an office. A proper office in the castle. It looked exactly like the one Galdor had, with furniture made in strong wood, a large window and a balcony, but in slightly bigger. It was were Sui took care of the administration work when the Captain was too busy to do so.

The elleth sighed and looked around the room. No one. Just the wind and the last sunbeams of this ending day. She sighed again. And looked at the desk. It was impeccable. No dust, no crumbs, no paper peaking out of the pile. No wonder why she couldn't concentrate in the middle of such a loud perfection.

She thought about moving everything, create a small comfortable chaos of her own. Then she realised that she would have to put everything back where it belonged if she did so, but didn't wish to give herself more work than she already had. Also, Alkien was still angry at her: he hadn't talked to her since the last incident and would certainly behead her if he came back to disorganised office.

She quickly finished filling the last form she had to take care of, put it in the file she had taken it out from, opened the drawer in which she had found the file and realised there was another orange file. Another one she was supposed to read, verify, fill, and have signed by Alkien. It was surely Alkien's way to punish her: boring paper work.

She took it out and opened it. First form: food and drinks inventory and order confirmation. _'Whoever made the orders must have been really hungry and thirsty at the moment because we will never consume that many goods in two weeks.'_ Second form: weapons inventory. _'That general training is a waist of arrows and a real economic gulf_' Third form: Births Reports. _'Who was dumb enough to come here pregnant when all this could have ended in a war?!'_ Fourth forms: _Spying mission. _

"_ SPYING?!" shouted the elleth. That, was certainly misplaced in a moment of intention in one of her orange files. She turned the first page to read the second one and find out what that was all about.

"_ Okay! You've got me!" exclaimed a familiar voice. "Please, do not press a knife under my neck a second time. It was scary enough the first time"

She jumped in her sit and put the paper away. She had been caught looking at something she definitely should have not been looking at by Elrohir, who thought she had caught him spying on her when she had no idea he had been hiding on the balcony.

"_ How long have you been out there?" asked the elleth, pretending she had actually caught him red handed.

"_ Only a minute or two." replied the twin. She furrowed a brow. "I never meant to spy on you, though. I wanted to spy on your brother."

Sui raised the brow she had previously furrowed.

"_ You wanted to spy on Albien?" She found it hard to believe. Albien never did any thing out of the ordinary. He was like his father, a workaholic. "Then come back here in two hours. He will come around to double check my work of the day."

"_ I tell you that I would like to spy on your brother and you tell me when and where I can find him." Elrohir opened both eyes wide. " Either he is part of those people who have nothing to hide, in which case, I am no longer interested in observing him to gather information on his person, or you are trying to trick me into thinking he has nothing to hide." He came close to desk the elleth was sitting at. "Which one is it?"

"_ The first one." answered Sui without hesitation.

"_ Oh." said the twin, disappointed. "Then I must find myself a new occupation until the night comes." He sat on the desk and looked into Sui's brown eyes. "Would you like to be my occupation?"

"_ No." She gave him a cold glance then started putting away all the forms back in the orange file, including the intriguing one, in the order in which she had found them. Hopefully, Alkien would think that she had never opened that file when he will realise what was inside. "The other night, was the first and last time we ever kissed, or did anything more than friends would do."

"_ Should I understand that Mhélir is more than a friend to you ?" asked Elrohir with a cocky smile on his face.

Sui stood up, put her hands on the desk and brought her face close to Elrohir's.

"_ Why do you ask? Would you be jealous if I had feelings for him?" replied the elleth. If Elrohir wanted to play games, she would play along and crush him.

"_ Good answer." said the prince, changing position to copy hers. "What if I answered that I would be jealous?"

"_ Well," started the elleth, a malicious smile on the corner of her lips. "If you were to answer that, I would be constrained to tell you to learn to live with it because your feelings would be unwanted and non-reciprocal."

"_ Ouch." he said calmly, bringing his left hand to his heart, making his way around the desk to come closer to the elleth. "I am deeply wounded by the fact that you would reject me so brutally."

"_ Don't take it personally." She took a step closer to him, reducing the space in between them to only a few centimetres. "The reason why a 'crush' is called a crush is because someone always gets crushed at the end. And it just so happens that it would be you."

They stared at each other. A minute passed.

Elrohir made the first move and grabbed her waist to pull her closer, so that they bodies would touch. He was slowly reducing the space in between their faces. His hands were shaking. Her gaze on him was both cold and flirtatious, there was no telling if she was going to let herself be kissed like two nights ago or if she was going to tear the skin off his lip a second time. Trying to kiss someone had never felt so dangerous before. It was all the more exciting.

When only a few mini-meters were left in between their lips, Elrohir froze. She gave him no indication to stop but she gave none to keep going either. What was he supposed to do?

Sui smirked. She liked feeling that she was in control. She grabbed the prince's collar and forced him to sit on the desk, being careful not to disrupt the piles of paper. She spread his legs apart just enough for her to be able to stand in between them and without looking at him in the eyes, she kissed him. As they tongues tangled together, she ran a hand under his shirt.

When he regained his composure, Elrohir brought his hands up to hold the Avari's face only to have them violently pushed away.

Sui pulled out. She had realised what she was doing: amistake. She faced palmed herself and when Elrohir tried to kiss her again she put the palm of her hand on his mouth and pushed his face away, then walked out.

AT THE SAME TIME, IN THE STABLES

Legolas was brushing his horse, waiting fro Nellil and Albien to come back from their riding lesson. He had been waiting there during the whole afternoon.

He wasn't sure what he disliked the most: that she did not tell him about it, that she didn't bother to ask him for help. Maybe it was that she was spending so much time with an Avari ellon. He wanted to be THE elf in her life, the one on who she could rely, and despite his efforts to grow closer to her, he sometimes felt that the gap between them was growing bigger.

The stables' doors opened. He could hear Nellil laugh and say something in Avari tongue. Not understanding what she had said he decided that he would start working on his Avari more seriously.

The back of the stables was dark, and from where Nellil and Albien where, they could not see Legolas. However, Albien had suddenly stopped the horse and was motioning for the princess to stay behind him. He scrutinized the room with his keen eyes. FellSvogee being an underground forest, Avari where used to being in the dark. The sun only reached the depth of their cave when at its paroxysm. They usually spent most of the day in the dark.

"_ Whoever you are," started the tall Avari, making himself taller. "I advise you to show yourself."

Legolas moved from behind his horse then left the shadows to appear in the light. Albien bowed to him with a movement of the head and relaxed his body. The Avari took the horse's reins and started walking towards it's stall, leaving the princess and her future husband together.

The blond elleth wasn't smiling any more. She knew Legolas was feeling betrayed. She bit her lower lip, held her left hand with her right hand and looked down. She didn't know what to say and even if she had known what to say, she wouldn't know where to begin.

Legolas wasn't sure how to handle things either. He couldn't get angry at her like he would with any one else because something about her disarmed him completely. He couldn't just let go of the matter either though: if they were to build a life, and perhaps a family, together, she had to learn to trust him, completely and without hesitation. But then again, how could he ask her to trust him when as soon as she was looking the other way he was letting his mind wander under Unel's clothes.

"_ I will be honest: I am hurt." said the prince. " Why would you hide this from me? Why didn't you ask **me** to teach you?"

He came closer to her to take her hands into his. She dared to look up, inside his eyes. She came closer and put a head on Legolas's torso then closed her eyes.

"_ ...sorry." she mumbled. "I know I should have at least told you."

Albien, at the back of the stables sighed. The scene he was currently witnessing was silly to him. He wanted to leave and take care of urgent business but since they were standing in front of the entrance, he couldn't. So, pretending that he was neither hearing nor seeing the other elves solving their couple issues, he started cleaning the horse.

"_ Why didn't you tell me you wanted to learn to ride? " asked the Silvan. "And you know I do not approve of you being alone with Avari people." he added before remembering that Albien was somewhere, behind. " I mean no offence to you, Sir Albien. It isn't personal." he yelled for the Avari to hear.

"_ None was taken." yelled back the dark elf. "I do not like my sister alone with wood elves either." he added. " But you may take it personally if you wish, because it is." told the Avari to the prince, on his usual calm tone.

Nellil held a mocking smile and Legolas, who wasn't expecting such an answer, turned his head around to look at the Avari but it was too dark. Judging by his tone, his face was probably just as expressionless as usual. The Silvan was not offended though. What the Avari had said was not meant as a provocation; it was only a statement. Besides, it was justified: every time Sui had been in trouble in woodland realm, he had been involved in one way or another.

"_ I didn't ask you because I thought you would be against me learning." said the elleth. The prince brought his attention back to her.

"_ Against? It is only about learning how to ride a horse." replied the prince.

"_ No...there is more to it." Nellil looked at Albien for help but he was back to actively ignoring them. "Sir Albien is also teaching me self-defence and how to shoot with a bow."

Legolas's face darkened. He pulled away from her.

"_ Your father was clear when he told me that, as your future husband, **I** should make sure that you will NOTt, EVER, have to use a weapon nor have to worry about your safety." started the prince, speaking on a higher tone than he had ever dared to use with his betrothed before. "Should I understand that you do not trust me with your safety? Do you not think that **I** can protect you?"

"_ I am sure you can!" shouted the elleth. "I would just like to be more capable. To be able **to take care of myself like every one else.**" Nellil spoke on the same tone Legolas had used. " Albien's sister was right when she said I was s**ugar-coat**ed. It is true. I never had to do anything by myself." She tuned the palm of her hands up and extended her arms horizontally in all their length. "Look at the result.!" she exclaimed. " I didn't even know how to climb on a horse without someone helping me." She bit her lower lip. " I NEED to become independent. I need to for myself and for you. I will not stop learning all this. Not for my Father. Nor even for you." She locked her blue eyes with his. "But I would like you to support me in this." She took a step towards him and soften her facial expression. "**You, **could even teach me if you would like." She gently took his hand.

Legolas swallowed his saliva and looked at her. What she had said made sense. It wasn't about him at all, and was even less about the Avari. It was all about her, and for once, she had the right to be selfish. He tightened his grip on her hand as his heart started beating faster.

He pulled his hands away from hers.

"_ I cannot support you in this." he said not daring to look at her because he knew he was being unfair. "Your father wouldn't want me to, and he trusts me with you. I cannot betray him, he could take you away from me."

Legolas left the stables. Nellil's eyes started to tear.


	19. Chapter 18: Making Promises

**Chapter 18: Making promises**

"_ SUI?" screamed Legolas, walking around in his Father's garden. "SUI? Are you there?"

The night was falling and after having had a rough day, the prince wanted to drink. To drink A LOT. He hated that he couldn't support Nellil in her new activities due to the promises ha had made to her father. The only reason why he left her so abruptly was because if he hadn't, he would have melted for her big blue eyes once again and taught her all she wanted to know about anything. Then her father would hate him forever and might decide to cancel the betrothal (that actually wasn't all that necessary since his people and hers always had had a peaceful relationship) what would anger his father who was very fond of his future daughter in law and who had fought like a mad dog in order to arrange this alliance so that the wood elves would have better access to war ships -if they ever needed any- and other merchandises rare to find on the continent.

He sighed, laid back on a three and threw his head back, his eyes closed. He opened his eyes.

"_ How did you know I would be here?" asked Sui, who had ignored his calls for her. She was sitting high up on a branch.

"_ Why didn't you answer me? I have been screaming your name like an idiot for at least twenty minutes." complained Legolas, readying himself to climb up.

"_ If I had answered, and some else was in the garden, they would have heard me too and I would have been kicked out from here." explained the elleth.

"_ Great..." exhaled the prince. "If someone heard me scream your name for no reason, there will soon be new gossips..."

Sui chuckled.

"_ So why were you screaming my name with such desperation?" asked the elleth, helping the Silvan up on the branch she was sitting on.

"_ Because I want to drink, of course." He squinted his eyes. "Why else?"

"_ Can't you drink alone?" She answered, handing a full bottle of whine to him.

"_ Drinking alone is sad." started Legolas, before taking a mouthful of the red liquid. " Besides, I need someone who will not judge me on any level, to cheer me up."

She squinted an eye and furrowed a brow.

"_ Is what you have done that bad?" She finished the bottle of ale she had started when she was alone.

"_ I might be inclined to talk about it when I will have had enough to drink " he answered.

* * *

Hours Later

* * *

"_ And I don't know...I wanted to push him away and leave but _I JUST KISSED HIM_!" screamed the elleth, agitating her arms in all directions like a drunk bird trying to fly.

"_ Oh nooooo!" shouted the prince, revolted! "How could you do the same HORRIBLE mistake twice ?!" He tried to hit the back of her head but missed.

"_ But..." She raised her index, as if she was going to say something of high relevance. "If you don't make the same mistake several times, how do you know, for sure, it is a mistakes?"

Legolas opened his mouth to counter argue but could not find anything wrong with that logic.

"_ That, is a good point." He took another sip of the good wine she had stolen from the kitchen. "I never thought you were smart." Sui shot him a mean glare. "But I was wrong!" he quickly added. "You have an implacable logic!"

Looking at him suspiciously she took the bottle off his hand and swallowed down some of the red liquid.

"_ _Your turn, now._" She pointed at him. "What did you do that needs to be solved by bad company and wine?" asked the Avari.

"_ I..." He had no idea where to start. "Unel..." He said sighing in desperation.

"_ _Come again?_" Sui furrowed a brow. 'Unel' was not a word she remembered having learned the meaning of.

"_The nurse?" said Legolas, expecting a reaction from the elleth. She shook her head. "Very tall, with beautiful big green eyes and-"

"_ AH!" She exclaimed. "Green eyes!" Interested, she came to sit closer to the ellon. "I would congratulate you for seducing her but cheating on your future wife with her was not a noble thing to do!" she started. " You should have asked her if she would be open to the idea of you, and her, if she wanted to, seeing other elves at the same time!"

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"_ You aren't one to talk!" He stuck his tongue out at her. "You did the exact same with Elrohir and Mhélir."

"__ NO!_" shouted the elleth. "_What I did, was different!_" she told him. "And not as bad as what YOU did!"

"_ Oh, and why is that?" asked the prince on a provocative tone. "How is it different? Please, enlighten and humour me, oh, you GREAT example of morality!" He laughed.

"_ Well, my lord of sarcasm, Mhélir and I, are just FRIENDS." she started. "FRIENDS!" she repeated loudly. "There is NO romance any where, on any side." she insisted. "And we are NOT betrothed to one another, so, I do not owe it to him to be faithful as much as you do to the princess."

Sui grinned: Legolas's challenging smiled had disappeared to let a grimace surface.

"_ Okay, I get it." he growled. "I should not have touched Unel, nor kissed her...especially not the second time-"

"_ It happened TWICE?!" screamed the elleth. "How dare you criticize my repeating mistakes?!" She laughed.

"_ Yes, but … I was avoiding her, then she found me and...I should see her again in order to-"

"__ Stop right there!_" she cut him once more. " You have to NOT talk to her EVER again!." She gesticulated like a drunk bird again. "She is bad! BAD! Bad, for you Legolas!BAD! Or, you can keep seeing Green Eyes-"

"_ Unel." he corrected.

"_ Unel" she repeated imitating him exaggeratively. "But give up the blond one."

"_ I can't 'give Nellil up!" he replied. "She isn't an object to be thrown when when considered boring or troublesome."

"_ Do you find her boring or troublesome?" asked the elleth.

"_ Of course not!" he shouted. "I-I love her" He surprised himself saying that. The words echoed in his head. "...I mean, I think I do, would be more accurate." he corrected.

"_You think-"

"_ Should I tell Nellil about Unel?" the prince interrupted her to change the subject. Sui pinched him to show him she disapproved of being cut in the middle of her sentence.

"_ Yes!" she happily yelled. "Being honest, is _ALWAYS_ the right thing to do!" She raised her index up again. "But you should only tell her after you have told Unel that you are done with her."

"_ I really do NOT want to tell any of that either one of them." He sighed and looked away from the Avari expecting eyes.

"_ You better tell them for your own sake." she warned him. Legolas thought he was being threatened by Sui."You said they were friends, didn't you?" He nodded. "So Nellil might find out from Unel, eventually."

"_ I doubt it." answered the blond elf, sure of himself. "If green eyes-"

"_ Unel" she corrected, mocking him.

"_ If Unel," he repeated annoyed. "Haven't already told Nellil, she won't tell her. Ever." He paused and tensed under the unconvinced look on the elleth's face. "Would she tell her?" he asked, now worried.

"_ I don't know." she replied, shaking her shoulders. "I know I would if I were her."

The prince looked away, worried. There was a pause: Legolas wasn't talking and Sui was starring intensely at him. She noticed for the first time that despite being too feminine, from her point of view, he actually had very manly traits. For example, his jaw was perfectly build: it was symmetrical; large but not too large and rectangular without but not swallowing his chin.

"_ Okay, I will tell them." started the prince. Hearing his voice made Sui come out of her 'trance'. " BUT" he said loudly but nicely. "I will only do so if, YOU" He pointed at her. "End things with Elrohir and tell Mhélir about it."

"_ Deal." answered Sui right away, without even meditating on it one second.

Legolas's eyes grew wide.

"_ Are you seriously going to do that?" he asked. "Don't tell me you will." He frowned. "Aren't you even going to think about it for a second?"

"_ **WE** are REALLY going to do that!" she exclaimed, almost excited. Legolas whined to express his reluctance. "And there is no going back on what I just said." He put a hand on prince's shoulder. "This is the right thing to do." she told him to give him some courage. It didn't give him anything else than a sudden need to hide in whole, deep in the group, and never come out of it. Was she crazy? How was he supposed to tell the princess he had just reproached with not being trustworthy that he had cheated on her. How? This could turn into a political issue if not handled the right way.

"_ When ?" he asked, not wanting to hear the answer. "When do we tell them that we are cheating liars because we have no control over our bodies' primary needs although we should have?"

"__ Tomo~rrow~!_" she sang. She had just ignored the Silvan's attempt at making her realise the weight of the secret they were carrying.

"_ Tomorrow?!" he exclaimed. "Why so soon?"

"_ The sooner the better." she said faking wisdom through the tone she used."Here." She extended her elbow towards him.

He looked down at her elbow then back at her face.

"_ Yes, it is an elbow." he commented, lost as to what she was trying to do.

"_ It's to make a promise." she said, a big smile on her lips. " You are supposed to grab my elbow your hand." He hesitated but grabbed it with a hand. "You sealed the promise." she said looking at his hand on her elbow before looking up again. "Do not disappoint me." she warned. "I have a saint HATRED of being disappointed."

* * *

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* * *

Because distracted once more, -and still a little drunk, although he would not admit it to himself- Legolas was abandoned by his usual Avari training partner who refused to cross swords with "an inapt person for it would not be enriching in any way." As a result, Alkien, who had recently categorized the prince as a trouble maker, decided to teach him a lesson: he sent Albien to replace the Silvan's partner, knowing very well that his son did not bear him dear to his heart.

The Avari stood still, holding his heavy shining sword, not saying a word. For a second, Legolas could have sworn he had seen a smile appear on the ever expressionless dark elf's face. One of those smiles Elladan and Elhorir exchange before doing something despicable.

The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the Avari was nowhere to be seen. He jumped forward, turned and blocked the Avari's sword right on time. Albien looked pleased. With his other hand, he was holding a knife. A knife that he didn't hesitate to plant in the wood elf's arm deep enough to make him scream in pain not so deep as to injure him severely.

Legolas dropped his swords.

"_ I know you can do a lot better. I have seen you train." Started Albien. " Pick up your swords and fight me-"

"_Take your swords, your misery, your injury and get it all fixed at the infirmary." ordered Alkien, cutting his son. The Captain sent a discrete smile to his son. He had had revenge on the elf who had his youngest disobey a King's orders and who kept her awake and drunk late in the night. It was enough. He couldn't allow for Legolas to be too damaged; after all, he was the prince.

"_ Yes, sir!" answered the prince, gathering what was left of his dignity and standing up before heading to the infirmary, the Silvan threw a mean glare at the Giant's son who had a satisfied smile put on his face.

Holding his bleeding arm, Legolas walked away, thinking that although Albien seemed to be the most pacifist of the Kinn-laï around, he would have to find a way to get rid of him: the Avari had obviously decided to make him an 'enemy' and was spending more time than he was with Nellil.

* * *

·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·

* * *

Unel was taking care of the inventory in the infirmary main room. That was the only part of her job that she disliked. There was nothing fascinating about counting what was left of the healing supplies. She tried to make more interesting by making a game out of it: she would try to count everything faster than she had done it the time before. Nothing exciting, but it made the job more bearable and she surprised herself by beating her personal record every single time.

"_ Hi..." said an hesitant voice.

"_ If you are here for a treatment you will have to ask another nurse, sir. I have been appointed with another task than healing for the moment being." answered the nurses not looking up. The elf standing in front of her didn't reply but did not move either. She quickly finished counting the bandages and looked up, putting an exasperated expression on his face. If it was another ellon here to try to court her while she was on duty, she was ready to send him back where he came from with his tail between his legs. "I absolutely DESPIS- " she stopped talking when she acknowledge it was the prince who was standing in front her. "What happened to your arm?" she asked, curious.

"_ A bad training day." replied the blond elf with no enthusiasm in his voice.

"_ Hm." She raised a brow. "Were you distracted again?"

He nodded but didn't offer an explanation. She stared at him a few seconds, hoping the reason why he was distracted this time would be written somewhere on his face but it wasn't. The only thing he was showing at the moment was discomfort and annoyance. He was probably still angry because he he had been struck.

The green eyed elleth stood up and politely motioned for him to follow her in a private room. Being a prince, he had the privilege of being healed in private. It didn't change anything to the healing process but having some privacy enabled him to not have have everyone starring at him while some one was 'hurting' him in order to heal him. He could allow himself to whine.

In the room, he sat down, on the bed, and Unel graciously sat near him. He was looking at her, while she was getting her torture instruments ready. Her bun was perfectly holding up, like usual, and no hair was trying to escape from it. Her neck was white and small and her shoulders peaking out of what seemed to be a brand new dress made in expensive silk. A perfect creature.

He felt his hands shake. She was saying something but he couldn't hear it. He was thinking about the promise he had made to Sui the night before.

From the moment he had taken her elbow with his hand, he had felt as if she had put a weight on him. One he couldn't quite identify and wasn't sure he wanted to be carrying. It felt like if he failed to endure its heaviness it would crush all of his body down, turning him into elf soup.

His mouth was dry but he had to open it and let sentences he wished he didn't have to speak, out. He opened his mouth to talk. Unel dropped something and bent down to pick it up. He had a glimpse at her breast. He closed his mouth and swallowed his words.

_'Illuvatar, help me! How am I supposed to tell such a creature that I do not want her when she is all I desire at the moment?!'_

He had been so focused on finding a way to fulfil the promised he had made that he hadn't notice that his beautiful nurse had already started cleaning his wound.

"_ Oh my," she started as she was inspecting the wound more thoroughly now that was clean. "He didn't spare you did he."

She turned around to mix some herbs and a yellow paste.

"_ I don't think he considers me dear to his heart." bitterly said the prince. He was unnerved by the fact that he had been ridiculed in public in such a way. That sort of things usually never happened to him, but to Olion.

"_ What is the cause of his dislike for you then?" She met his eyes for a second then busied herself with applying the mixed paste on the wound with delicateness. She knew the prince was a sensitive elf and would cringe and refuse to be healed if not taken care of with subtlety. "You and your father are being such good host to him and his people. Why would he have anything against you?"

"_ He isn't fond of the relationship I share with his sister." answered the prince without thinking. He realised his mistake when taken aback by the answer, the elleth forgot for a second how sensitive was the prince and tightened her her grip on the red and painful skin around the gash on his arm.

"_ Perhaps it is deserved then." she told him coldly, turning around to grab bandages.

"_ Unel..." Legolas sighed. He waited for her to face him again to gently put a hand one of her cheeks. "His sister is the wildling every one has heard about." He started caressing her cheek. She didn't pull back. "She is an **insane** elleth with ideals no one can-" he stopped. Talking about Sui suddenly made him feel the weight she had put on him when he sealed the promise. The promise he had to fulfil now that he had the chance to. He looked down, at the floor and took his hand off her face.

She worried for a second, then felt something was wrong. She furrowed her brows.

"_ What is it ?" she asked him before slowly taking his chin with her hand to turn his face towards hers so that their eyes would meet.

"_ Nothing it is just..." he hesitated. Her intense gaze, her almond shaped eyes, her soft lips distracted him. "I shouldn't-...WE-we shouldn't-"

The nurse cut him in his speech by deposing her lips on his. She was no fool: she had guessed what he wanted to say and didn't want to hear it. As long as he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, nothing was broken: she could keep seeing him no matter how she disliked having to share him.

Hardly able to control himself, and having been wanting her for so long, Legolas pushed the elleth in the bed and climbed on top of her. He kissed her neck, then her shoulder. With one hand he held her close to him by the waist and with the other he caressed the inside of her thigh, making his way up to her -NOPE. She stopped his hand and gently pushed him away.

She sat.

"_ I should get back to work." she said monotonously.

He kissed her shoulder.

"_ Do you really want to stop now?" he murmured in her ear. "When it is about to get interesting?"

She stood up before he could kiss her neck.

"_ I love working as a nurse." she started. "I cannot take pride in it if I spend my working hours NOT WORKING with you." she offered on the same rhythm-less tone before exiting the room in a haste, not picking up her instruments.

She wouldn't tell Legolas but she was offended and hurt, again, by the fact that he tried to end things with her when obviously, it wasn't what he wanted. Why couldn't he be honest to himself and realise that his betrothed could never replace her; she would never be enough.

* * *

After having been unexpectedly abandoned alone in a room with an excuse no elleth had ever used before, the prince decided to get out of the room. He couldn't accomplish anything by sitting there, mouth open, like an idiot.

He was closing the door when a loud voice coming from right behind him screamed:

"_ _HEY!_"

He quickly turned around to look at Sui and opened his mouth in shock when he saw her face.

"_ What happened to you ?" He brought a hand to touch the swollen violet and blue skin around her right eye. "Who dared hitting you?" He wasn't angry. He was horrified by the thought that someone would punch an elleth her size, making her lips bleed and eye blacken.

"_ Oh, that." she started. "Mhélir did that when I told him." Legolas's eyes grew wide open. An ellon, a warrior, her friend, had hit her and she seemed to think it was normal. Also, she had found the courage to tell him the truth. Unbelievable. She really was full of surprises. "He was angry because we have rules about, you know, having sex together on a regular basic and I didn't respect them. Plus, he felt insulted that I 'cheated' with a non Avari." she explained." What about you? What happened to your arm?"

"_ Albien kicked my ass on Alkien's demand." he spat, ashamed, looking away from her.

" Hmm." She looked at the bandage on his arm and tilted her head. " It seems like he was nice to you."

"_ Nice?" repeated the prince. "How is this" He pointed at his wound. "being nice?" he asked, trying to make a point.

"_ Well," she turned around and pointed at some people further away. They were two nurses tending one Avari. "Look at what he did to Mhélir when he saw my face." Legolas looked. The green eyed Avari seemed to have a dislocated shoulder and his face was more swollen than Sui's. "I would have taken care of him myself but it wouldn't have been fair if I had both cheated on him and beaten him up." she added. "But more important, did you tell them?"

"_ No." he truthfully answered. "I mean, yes!" he lied. She looked at him suspiciously. "The thing is, I talked to Unel, but I haven't seen Nellil yet." he explained. It sounded true enough because it was: he talked to Unel, he just didn't talk to her about ending whatever it was they had. He didn't lie. He didn't. He just omitted to tell Sui that what he talked to Unel about had nothing to do with their promise. Beside, he at least tried to tell Unel. Not telling everything isn't lying. It is merely just voluntarily not detailing the facts.

"_ GREAT!" shouted the elleth before putting a bright smile on her face. "Half of the work is done!" She hit his arm in a friendly gesture, not caring that she had hit him where he had been wounded. "Hang in there _friend._"

_Friend_. The word echoed in his head. He didn't know what it meant but it sounded nice for once. _Friend. Friend. Friend_. Whatever she had called him, was making him feel guilty of having lied. No. Of not having detailed the facts.

"_ Should we meet at sunset, in the garden, to celebrate being done with that mess?" offered the prince, thinking that maybe, if he procured her happiness by sharing some of his father's best wine with her, the guilt he felt would somehow vanish.

"_ No." she happily said shaking her head before turning around to leave. Legolas stopped her by grabbing her hand with his.

"_ What do you mean 'no' ?" he asked her, wandering why she would turn his offer down when she was the one who told him that any reason was a good reason to drink and have fun. He even remember thinking that this could be his father's motto.

"_ I mean no. I will not be drinking with you tonight." she simply answered.

"_ Didn't Olion and Elladan already explained to you that you couldn't just answer 'no' and not justify why?!"

She looked down at his hand because it was still holding hers, what started to make her feel uncomfortable. He realised he was still holding her hand because he saw her eyes look down. It made him feel self-conscious and uncomfortable, so he released it.

"_ They said I shouldn't do it. Not that I couldn't." She replied then stuck her tongue out at him. " I can't drink with you tonight because I am eating with Alkien tonight."

"_ Oh!" he said as if he had just remembered something. "I understand." Sui was a little bit confused: what was there to understand? "When does he leave again?In two days? Three?"

"_ Leave?" she repeated, opening her eyes wide and fluttering her eyelashes several times, really fast.

"_Yes. Leave." he repeated, again. "My Father told me that he had important business to take care of in FellSvogee, so he had to leave for a couple of days."

Sui frowned. She looked left, then right without moving her head.

"_ Is that what the spying mission is about? But why would he spy on those who stayed home? Unless..." she tilted her head and trying to make sense of all the information she had.

"_ What spying mission?" asked the Silvan, now frowning as well.


	20. Chapter 19: The warm hand

**Chapter 19: The warm hand**

"_ _YOU ARE LEAVING!_" Screamed the elleth as soon as she could discern their friends and family members' shadow sitting around a fire. "_I can't believe you would forbid me to go over the wall, near the river, where neither Hwenti nor orcs were seen, two days before you LEAVE to spy on the Hwenti?"_ Alkien broke the glass he was holding and turned to look at Albien. He looked at his son as if to ask him how she had found out about that. His son shook his shoulders to answer that he didn't know. _" Aren't you even going to explain yourself?"_

"__ NO_!" yelled the giant, turning his head to look at Sui. "_I will NOT explain myself because I do not have to answer to you about anything." _

Sui dropped her menacing posture. The anger in her eyes disappeared. Actually, every emotions she had had at the moment seemed to have vanished to wonder somewhere else. Her eyes were dead and her face closed.

"__ You promised."_ she started. _"You promised you would never leave me behind. Again."_ she told him.

The Captain's body stiffened, but not with anger but . He had made this promise a hundred and 47 years ago, after the last open war against the Hwenti. He remembered that she had been put under his care a month before it had started, right before her whole family have had to leave for the war. She was so angry about having been left behind, because too young, that she would bite both him and Albien every single time one of their limbs would come close to her face. Only his wife had been spared by her mood. Then his wife had to leave for war. Then Albien had to leave. And eventually, him too left.

The day they came back, she had seemed to be on the verge of crying; he wasn't sure if it was out of joy or rage, but he was certain she hadn't enjoyed being 'abandoned' a second time because she had broken every breakable things in his house. As always, Albien had prevented him from getting angry, his wife had blamed him for everything taking the elleth's side before kissing his forehead and telling him she was busy so they would have to clean everything themselves, and there, on a moment of weakness and wanting the girl to stop violently scratching his leg, he promised that from that day on, where he was going, she was going. She had taken it quite literally the first few days after that, what had been inconvenient while it had lasted.

This promise was also the only reason why she had come on this journey. He wanted her to go back to her parents, but she had reminded him of the promise. And although she loved her family dearly, she was still holding a grudge against them for not having taken her to war with them and didn't wish to go back to them without having had accomplished prowesses of her own.

"__ I know." _started the Captain. _"And it saddens me to break it, but, this, is not a mission you can join."_ he told her. _"Besides, I will need you to second Albien, here, while I am gone."_

She furrowed a brow. Her face was expressive again.

"__ Second Albien?"_ she repeated, furious. _" If you don't want me on the mission with you, fine, but at least tell me the truth: tell me you do not think me strong enough, don't tell me Albien needs me here."_

Alkien frowned. Albien put a hand on his father's shoulder to try to call him down so that he wouldn't let irritation take over him.

"__ You are not strong enough for this mission."_ started the Giant, half-controlling his emotions. _"And you are right, Albien does not need your help, here."_ He look at her right in the eyes. _" But the rules require captains, even provisory ones, to be seconded by some one. And I appoint YOU to be that task because I trust your judgement will balance perfectly with Albien's."_

Sui held a small smile inside. That was a high praise (even if it wasn't meant as one). But she didn't want to forget that she was angry.

"__ No one in the camp will agree with that decision."_ she replied. _"I am only a trainee. They won't-"_

"__ No one in the camp is in a position to disobey my orders."_ he cut her. _" And you won't stay a trainee for long."_

Sui's mouth opened._ 'Is he saying what I think he is saying.' _she thought.

She let her eyes wander on Mhélir and Mhéléane who seemed as shocked as she was, then on Albien who nodded at her, a discrete smile on the corner of his lips and finally on Alkien who was frowning. Making this decision must have been hard for him: he liked to think of her as a child, but had finally accepted to let her grow.

"__ Isn't it too early?"_ asked Sui, who could no longer contain her excitement. _" I mean, I am not 300 years old yet, and my basic training-"_

"__ Is close to its end."_ completed the Captain. _"You fight like a warrior, not like a training elfling any more."_ He could see that her joy was soon going to get out of control. _"It doesn't mean you do not have to train any more. It simply means that you are done with the basic training. Geldrik and I will train you like Mhélir and Albien are trained, not like Mhéléane is trained anymore._"

Mhéléane mumbled something not very nice no one paid attention to. Geldrik, like a mountain, wasn't moved by what was happening and kept eating his lunch in silence.

Sui smiled cockily and looked at her brother.

"__ Did you hear that? We have the same status now!"_ she provoked., sticking her tongue out at him.

"__ The maturing rite hasn't been performed yet."_ snapped back Albien. "_And even after that, you,"_ He pointed at her. _"will be under my command since, I, will be appointed provisory Captain."_ He returned her cocky smile.

Sui extended her arm to hit him but Mhélir caught it wanting to avoid all the troubles and fighting that would follow from that attack.

"__ Your hand..." _said the green eyed ellon. "_It is very warm."_ He took her other hand in his. It was cold, as it should be since the night was cold. _"Only that one hand is warm."_ He raised his head up to look at her face. _" Could the myth of Hendthore be true?!"_ he teased.

There was a mortifying silence followed by Albien, Alkien and Sui creaming "CERTAINLY NOT!" in unison, what made Mhélir laugh and Mhéléane stare in confusion.

"__ She is too young for that._" said Albien, shaking his head.

"__ You heard your brother,"_ started Alkien. _"Binding your self to someone is an eventuality, not an obligation. And I would rather it didn't happen any time soon."_ He made it sound like an order. He turned to Albien. _"Do NOT let that happen while I am not here. I will not accept it."_ he ordered to his son.

"__You heard Father."_ said Albien to Sui who was looking at both of them as thought they were crazy elves under the amused eyes of Mhélir and the still confused ones of Mhéléane. _"EVENTUALITY."_ he said loudly. _"EVENTUALITY"_ he repeated, gripping her arm. _"Do not think that because most tie themselves to another, __**you,**__ should do the same."_ he told her.

She grimaced and constrained herself so that she would not jump on them both and cover them with bruises.

"__UNBELIEVABLE!"_ she screamed. _"We already had this talk!"_ she yelled. _"__**I, **__will do what I please when it comes to that matter! And neither one of you have a right to interfere shall anything happen."_ she warned. _" And as of my hand,"_ she looked at Mhéllir. _"No one I am even remotely interested in took it in theirs_." She looked at her brother and father. _"NO. ONE."_ she repeated. _"So you can relax and releaaase me." _

She liberated her arm from Albien's grip and left, vexed, for the kitchen where she knew she would find Olion and Elladan probably still arguing about the consistency of apple pies.

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* * *

"__ Mhélir?"_ Mhéléane called to wake him.

"__ I agreed to share my tent with you tonight because you said you would be SLEEPING."_ he growled. _"So please, SLEEP."_

"__ No. You've FORCED me to spend the past few nights in your tent to ensure that I didn't spend them with Olion."_ she argued.

Her brother didn't answer. She couldn't see his face because they were laying back to back. She couldn't see the grimace he made when she mentioned the wood elf.

"__ What is it?" _he said annoyed._ "What do you want? Why did you wake me up?"_

"__ What is the myth of Hendore?"_ she asked.

He sighed, and without turning around to look at her, he started to explain:

"__ Hendthore"_ he corrected. _" She was the most curious of all elves. She was so curious, that she observed and learn everything there was to learn and observe by the time she 1000 years old. Eventually there was nothing she didn't know. Nothing but one thing: the reason why her hands were always cold. She covered them with the thickest out of all the existing furs. But they remained cold. She stood for days, hands near a fire. But they remained cold. She let them boil in hot water, but they remained cold. She even touched the sun, the hottest thing that exists. But they remained cold. Until one day, an ellon took her hands in his. This ellon, was the one she loved. Once he had released her hands, she was surprise to feel they were warm for the first time. She later bound herself to him. And since then, when a elleth has warm hands - or a warm hand- it is said that the person she loves took her hands in his."_

There was a small pause.

"__ Is that supposed to mean that there is nothing warmer than love?"_ she asked, unsure if she had understood it all well.

"__ Something like that...I guess..."_ Mhélir voice's trailed away. He was slowly falling asleep.

"__ What a stupid story."_ snapped Mhéléane thinking that listening to it was a waste of time.

After she had said that, she looked at her hands for a second then brought them to her cheeks to feel their temperature. They were both cold although Olion had held them during the day. She promised herself to buy gloves the next day.

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* * *

"_ LEGOLAS! CALM DOWN!" screamed the King, who's patience was running out.

"_ NO!" yelled back the prince, pushing away the two guards who had come to restrain his movements. "Why is it that I always find out by someone else what is happening in OUR realm! WHY?" Legolas paused to breathe. He was finally calming down after having been screaming at his father for twenty-one minutes and forty-two seconds. Thranduil sat back on his throne. "Tell me at least why are Alkien and Geldrik, two Avari, going on this mission? Why is there no wood elf going with them? We are threatened as much as they are by the Hwenti. We should send one of ours too."

Thranduil crossed his legs and laid back.

"_ The Kinn-laï have already been confronted to the Hwenti. They know how they think, how they fight, what their weaknesses are. We don't." explained the King. " It is wiser to let elves with experience take care of this, for now, if we want to increase this mission's rate of success."

Legolas nodded to let his father know that he agreed with his argument and would not interfere with this decision.

"_ What exactly are we expecting from this mission?"

"_ We want to know how many they are, in our woods. How many more they can call for reinforcement. What their intentions towards us are." The king's thick eyebrows furrowed. "And what is their relation with the _yrch." _he said with disgust.

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* * *

"_ Lady Unel!" said the twin surprised. "How unexpected to find you in front of my brother and my apartments." he told her singing as she was, in fact, standing in front of the twin's apartments' door. " Aren't there enough gossips about you and royalty?" he teased.

Keeping her arm crossed she stood up straight to make herself taller.

"_ Gossips are harmless." she replied. "I am here to ask you a few questions about someone."

"_ I already know where this is going." said the twin, disappointed. "I do not understand how someone as smart as you are manages to never surprise me."

She rolled her eyes. She knew the twins well. They had met plenty of times when they were younger, when they came to visit Legolas. She knew just how much they liked to be 'entertained' but she thought that playing their petty games was a waist of time so she never answered to their provocation.

"_ Nothing ever surprises any of the two of you." she answered, not knowing which one of the twins she was talking to.

"_ The elleth you came to have information on does. Constantly. It is even surprising how much she surprises me." he told her. Unel rolled her eyes again.

"_ Is it true, what the servant say?"

"_ For someone who thinks that gossips are harmless, you seem to be very affected by them." he teased, again.

She smiled for second, finding the irony amusing.

"_ That does not answer my question." She gently grabbed his arm with her hand. "Have Legolas and the Avari girl been going, together, in the King's garden, at night?"

"_ They have never been seen heading there together, nor entering or exiting the garden together." said the prince. Unel seemed to be relived. "But, some maids heard them talk in garden. Or so they say."

"_ What could they have to tell each other?" she snapped. From all the gossips she had heard about her, the elleth was not ugly but not pretty either, vulgar in her speech and rude and clumsy in her movements. Legolas was the opposite: they couldn't have anything to tell each other.

"_ The servants couldn't say." He shook his shoulders. "They weren't sure if they were having fun or arguing. They laughed one second and screamed like mad dwarves the next, according to what the maids say."

Unel sighed. If the twin couldn't tell her more about the subject, no one could. But if the Silvan and the Avari didn't bother to hide better that they spent some time together, there was nothing to worry about. Was there?

"_ Would you care to have a walk with me, old friend?" she asked him. " I miss spending time with you, your brother and Olion.." she told him, smiling warmly.

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* * *

"_ YOUR son, told my daughter, I was going on a mission." said Alkien on an accusing tone. "I thought the mission was supposed to stay **secret**?"

Standing very close to him, holding the same menacing position, the Great Elven King furrowed his eyebrows.

"_ And YOUR daughter showed my son the file a bout the mission." he answered on the same tone. "Weren't you supposed to keep it **hidden**?"

"_ CALM DOWN, both of you!" yelled Galdor, stepping in between the two ellyn. Both were too proud to back out of the 'pointing fingers at who's fault it is that the secret mission is no longer a secret' fight. "Neither one of the children are to blame." said the wood elf Captain. "But the two of you are!" he accused. The two ellyn crossed their arms and grimaced. They knew it: they were to blame. But they both disliked that the other's child had given theirs the information they lacked on what was going on. "You," Galdor pointed at Thranduil, "should tell your son EVERYTHING. He is the future king, he should know. And you," he turned to look at Alkien, " shouldn't leave your daughter anywhere close to your office. She is too curious and reckless for her own good AND ours." he told the Avari Captain "Now, do you have any way to ensure that neither one of your children will put the mission at risk ?"

"_ How and why would they do that?" asked the Avari and the king at the same time.

"_ Do not pretend that you do not know just how far the idiotism and will to disobey of your children go." replied Galdor.

The two other ellyn looked at the floor embarrassed. Even with all their charisma there was no way to convince anyone that Sui wouldn't simply decide that the rules didn't apply to her or that Legolas wouldn't feel compelled to go on a mission that was not appointed to him because he thinks it the right thing to do.

The fathers sighed.

"_ I have arranged something to keep her here." Alkien looked at Thranduil. "And I think that Geldirck and I should leave one day sooner. This way, neither one of them would be able to follow us."

"_ Legolas has been distracted lately." said the king to himself, walking away from the two Captains who had gotten used to his theatrical behaviour. "He won't suspect nor expect the mission's date to change." He paused and turned to face the Captains again. "YES!" he exclaimed. "You will leave one day sooner for the mission." Alkien nodded. " But " he started again. "Only if you believe it safe enough. I do not wish to put your life, and you vice-captain's life under unnecessary danger when I need the both of you here to manage the camp."

"_ The camp will be well taken care of. Have no doubt about it." answered the Avari.

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* * *

Albien had finished filling in the day's urgent forms. He put them back where they belonged, in his father's drawer, then locked it. He cleaned up what was left on the desk then headed for the door. He stooped. He glanced at the desk. There was one thing he had forgotten to do.

He went back to the desk and opened the second drawer. Sui's drawer. He took the orange files out and looked through them. In the fourth one, he found the file about the spying mission. The one Alkien had entrusted him to hide carefully. The one he had been careful to misplace in her paperwork.

He took it out and put it with his father's paperwork, in is father's drawer. Then locked the drawer again, before leaving the office.


	21. Chapter 20: A sort of Magic

**Chapter 20: A sort of Magic**

The light of the new day was brighter than the previous day. Birds were singing, young maidens were laughing, children were playing and two lovers were trying to talk their problems to an end. Although, neither Elladan or Sui could hear the words coming from the lovers' mouths, they could read their facial expressions. And make up a conversation based on the movement of their lips.

"_ Ah, he is frowning now." said the elleth. "No. No you can't!" she said on a mocking tone, imitating Legolas. " You can't have a baby turtle for I fear it will bite the tip of my fingers."

"_ Oh! But Darling," started Elldan, failing to take an elleth-like voice as Nellil responded to whatever Legolas had told her. " A turtle with little wings would be so tasty in a stew."

"_ _Rwerk!_" exclaimed Sui in disgust. Elladan laughed.

The twin and the Avari stopped playing for a minute and watched Nellil put on a bright smile and throw herself into the Silvan's arms. He held her close then put on his ever shining happy smile on.

Sui sighed loudly and without letting go of the balcony's barrier nor detaching her eyes from the love-birds to look at the twin she said:

"_ I hate couples..."

Elladan briefly looked at her.

"_ Why?" He went back to starring at Legolas and Nellil. "I think they are cu-"

"_ Showing off their happiness for everyone to see and envy." she cut. She sounded bitter.

"_ So you don't hate couples," started Elladan, looking at her again, trying not to smirk too much. "You are just jealous of people who have a partner because you don't have one." The elleth growled. "I will take it I am in the right then." He smirked widely. "Why don't you try to find yourself a partner then?"

"_ Because..." she looked everywhere at the same time, as if the answer was to be found somewhere on the balcony. " _Actually,_ _I don't know._" she truthfully answered. "Finding a partner sounds like a lot of work... And I would rather spend my energy on other things, to be honest." She looked at Legolas and Nellil again and grimaced. "I do not to ever want look like them." she said, thinking they were both too naïve about their relationship. "But I don't want to be alone for eternity either." She grimaced again. She wasn't sure what would be worse: being trapped in a relationship bound to fail or never find someone that she could consider as more than a friend.

Elladan stared at her. She stared back. He didn't seem in a hurry to talk but he looked like he had plenty to say at the moment. "WHAT?" she asked, impatient and curious.

He stayed silent for twenty eight more seconds.

"_ Do not worry." He turned to observe the couple again. "You won't be alone until the end."

Sui stared intensely at him, her left brow raised. He looked like he knew something no one else knew; what wouldn't surprise her knowing that the twins always knew everything before anyone else. They had invisible eyes and ears everywhere it seemed.

"_ Do you have visions like Lord Elrond, your father?" she asked.

Elladan chuckled.

"_ No." He laughed some more. "And I needn't any to see something coming when it is as big Geldrick The Mountain."

The elleth sighed in relief. He knew nothing and was surely just teasing.

"_ You talk in riddles. This, is why your brother and you exasperate me." she told him, half laughing.

In the court, under the balcony where the Avari and the youngest of Rivendel's princes were standing, Legolas kissed Nellil's forehead.

"_ They reconciled in less than a week." said Elladan, sounding very satisfied. " I won the bet."

Sui plunged her hand deep in the pocket of her brown pants and took small purse out of it, only to hand it to the prince. It was filled with sweets both elves loved.

She tasted the flavour of defeat because she had betted that they would never make up after their last fight. Only, she thought their last fight was Legolas admitting that he had been seeing Unel, when in truth, he had never told her about the matter. And Elladan, who, surprisingly, like Elrohir, hadn't found out about Unel (yet?), assumed the fight they were betting on was the one about the riding lessons the Lady had decided to take without consulting her fiancé first.

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* * *

Nellil stopped wagging her sword in front of Albien. He wasn't bothering to avoid her attacks any more. But not because they were weak, because his mind was elsewhere.

"_ Would you like to call it a day, Sir Albien?" Nellil's voice made the Avari come back down to earth. "_ You look tired_."

Albien took a deep breath and nodded.

"__ I could do with some rest_." He rubbed his eyes _"My sister kept me up all night._" he started. _"She was so__ excited about her coming of age that she wouldn't sleep."_

"_ Her coming of age?!" exclaimed the princess. "Doesn't she still have 34 years to go before being 300?"

Albien looked at her a surprised expression on his face. She had a good memory: he had only told her Sui's age once and she remembered it perfectly.

"_ Yes she does, but the rite can be performed sooner if a Captain and his vice-captain decide it is time."

"_ And... they both think time has come for her?" asked Nellil, curious. All she knew about the Avari elleth, was that for some reason, she didn't train with all the other elves. Also, she was so small one could hardly imagine her fight anything else than dummies.

"_ _She fights well enough as long as she is holding knives_." he told the blue eyed elleth. _"But they also didn't have much of a choice."_ he added, looking away. _"Her coming of age will enable them to appoint her vice-captain without it being a problem. The others wouldn't listen to a trainee, you see."_ he explained.

"_ Why name her vice-captain, and not someone older, with more experience who would, perhaps be more suited for the task?" asked the princess, not understanding the Avari Captain's decision.

"__ So that she doesn't find the time to go beyond the wall a second time._" bitterly answered the Avari.

There was a minute of silence. Nellil could feel that Albien still had some resentment for Legolas because of the wall incident. She didn't wish to talk about it any further; she didn't wish to anger the Avari.

"_ So..." she started again. " What will happen during the maturing ceremony? I heard the whole realm was invited to attend."

"_ Yes. Everyone is welcomed." he replied in Sindarin for the first time today. _"Every month, when the full moon rises, a maturing ceremony takes place. All those who have turned 300 years old present themselves wearing their new amours: their warrior armours. The Maturing, like we call them, are expected to dance and fight to entertain older warriors. Then the best fighter out of them all, the one who is considered to have worked the best __**since birth**__, is named. That one obtains the right to be respected by all the trainees and maturing of the same month._" he slowly explained, hoping she would understand it all because he did not have the heart, nor the words, to explain it in her tongue.

"_ Were you the best out of your month?" she wondered.

"_ _Aye. I was_." he confirmed.

"_ And...do you think your sister will be the one of hers?"

"_ _No._" he answered without hesitation. "_She never bothered to learn anything that she didn't like, properly."_ he explained. "_All she ever spent her time learning was the use of knives for which, she has a rather scary obsession."_ he admitted. _"No, this month's best will be Hagja."_ Albien frowned a little. _"And he will probably claim her place for the Captain trainee-ship."_

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* * *

Now that Elrohir had given up pursuing Sui's favours, he found himself with a lot of free time he wasn't sure what to make of. Today, he had decided that perhaps, instead of his usual spying on people he would train. He felt his hands missed holding weapons.

The training range was full, as usual, since the Avari had arrived. The twin wondered if the dark elves ever did anything else than sharpen their skills for killing. He thought of them as tireless machines. He had been there for 4 hours and was taking his second break when none of them had even stopped a second to drink water.

Watching them bored him: they didn't look like the type of persons to ever do anything interesting. He wondered if Sui truly was Avari: she was always doing something interesting. He decided to look through the window, hopping that outside, something more exciting might be going on. And to his delight, there was something more exiting happening outside.

Outside, carrying lots of bags, Olion was walking behind Lady Unel, who wasn't holding anything in her hands. She always managed to find an ellon to carry her goods. But that Olion had agreed to...INTRIGING. Were they friends again, like during the old times? If they were, why did he grimace the last time Elrohir had mentioned her name during a conversation? Elrohir smirked. There was a story that promised to have an entertaining development.

Without looking at who was near him, he asked in perfectly formed Avari sentence:

"_ _Tell me, what do you think about love?"_

"__ Love?"_ repeated the green eyed Avari elleth who was standing near by. _"It is irrelevant for a person with your status."_ she told him, well aware of who he was.

Not expecting such an answer, he turnaround to look at the elleth. She was tall, but not as tall as he was, with broad shoulders, and long dark brown hair tied in a loose braid. She somehow looked like Mhélir.

When she had realised the wood elf was looking at her, she looked up, to stare back at him. Her piercing and intense gaze made him lower his eyes for a second.

"__ So you do not believe me capable of love because I am a prince." _he stated.

She didn't seem surprised by the fact that his avari was excellent.

"__ This is not what I said." _She looked outside, through the window, at the red headed elf who was overloaded but seemed more than happy to be in 'good' company. Her face deformed itself in an expression of disgust and anger. _"I believe you capable of many things and love is one of those things. However, I doubt you know the meaning of the word __**because**__ you are a prince."_

Elrohir laughed.

"_ Avari and their ability to answer a question without answering it at its best." he told himself.

The elleth looked at him confused. She didn't seem to understand a word of sindarin.

"__ Do **you** believe in it?"_she asked him, looking outside again.

Elrohir started to wonder if she was the elleth Olion had talked about with so much passion. If it was her, he had done well to hide her from his eyes, because she was a delight to look at.

"__ If I believe in love?" _he asked for confirmation. She nodded. He looked at his friends outside, who seemed to be talking about something serious and perhaps sad since Lady Unel had taken Olion's hands in hers. "_I believe in what I see."_ answered the prince. " _And what I see_," He looked at her again. "_Is that some people's eyes meet, then, their hands touch and a sort of..._" he hesitated. "_Magic_" he finally said. "_Yes, a sort of magic happens between the two of them._"

The elleth broke the eye contact and went back to sharpening her sword, as if suddenly uninterested in what was going on outside and in the prince.

"__ Love is a feeling_" she said, coldly. _"It doesn't last. It isn't a fact, it isn't solid, it is almost unreal. It cannot be trusted."_

Elrohir knew he had lost her attention and interest. But she had caught his curiosity.

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* * *

Olion kissed Unel's hand to bid her good bye. She joked about how much of a gentleman he could be when he tried harder, they laughed, then she bowed and with a seductive smile, she closed the door on him.

The ellon stayed in front of the door for a minute, unsure of what had just happened. He and Unel had spent a few hours down town, buying food and gowns -he mostly complained and carried whatever she handed to him with one of her irresistible smiles. They talked, a lot, they laughed, a lot, she took his hands in hers, he felt how warm they were in his and now he was standing in her apartments, in front of her room's door.

He wanted to get inside her room, but then what? He had offered his heart to another and this one was his friend's. Although, Legolas and Unel could never be together as long as King Thranduil was alive. Olion sighed and left the room while his will was still stronger than his body.

Unel had stayed ear stuck against the door to listen to what the ellon in the other room would do. She didn't know what she wanted him to do and felt both saddened and glad when he left. She stayed by the door for a while, her eyes closed then turned around and started undoing the laces of her dress.

At some point, something caught her eyes. A small blue packet left on her bed. She wondered who had put it there. She stared at it then made her mind to open it. Inside, there was a ring. A ring she had seen before: the one she had made with Legolas's help, a long time ago, the first time he had skipped his watch on the wall to stay with her, along with a note.

"_I can promise you nothing for all I have to give is already promised to another. And I know, that I cannot and should not ask anything from you for I do not deserved anything you have to offer, but if you can find in your heart the strength to love me in secret, like when we were younger, we can meet under the bridge, when the realm is asleep and the stars shine._

_-Legolas"_

She smiled with all of her heart. Then the side of her lips dropped slightly. She had realised that even if she put this ring on and renounced to other elves for him, eventually being with her prince was a far set goal that she had no guaranty to ever reach despite all the sacrifices she would make.

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* * *

"_ Sir Albien." said Legolas, nodding to salute the Avari. He nodded back, face as closed as ever. "Prince Elrohir and I are looking for your sister. Could you be so kind as to-"

"__ She is busy."_ cut the Avari, looking at them both straight in the eyes, not bothering to try speaking in their tongue.

The two princes looked at each other and neither of them daring to extend the conversation with the Avari, nodded and started walking back to where they came from.

"_ I don't think he likes us." told the Silvan to the twin once they were at a safe distance. Elrohir grimaced.

"_ No." he replied. "He doesn't like me." he added raising a brow. "But you: he hates."

Legolas laughed.

"_ You he hates more, I swear." The blond elf laughed a little. " You touched his 'precious' sister. It is a miracle you are still alive."

"_ It s no miracle." answered Elrohir, frowning. "I simply negotiated with him." Legolas looked at him, curious. "He agreed not to, I quote, _'destroy the disgrace' _ that I am if I swore not to come after her ever again." He sighed and stopped walking. "What do we do now ?"

Legolas sighed too.

"_ I have to admit that without Sui's strangeness to divert us, time seems to be running slower."

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* * *

After having announced himself, and having been given permission to come in, Alkien entered Geldrick's tent and sat on the nearest chair he found.

"__ We're leaving sooner."_ he told his vice captain."

"__ When?"_ asked the Mountain.

"__ Tomorrow night."_ Geldrick gave Alkien a glass of water that the Giant swallowed in less than ten seconds.

"_ _Everything will be ready for tomorrow then_." said the vice-captain. "_But are you sure that you want to leave sooner_?"

"__ Yes."_ was Alkien's brief answer.

"__ You will miss Sui's coming of age."_ replied the Geldrick. "_She won't like it."_

Alkien sighed.

"__ We will be there for the ceremony and will leave as soon as the Maturing leave for the party._" explained Alkien. _"She won't notice we are gone until the next day."_

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* * *

The night had taken its time, but finally fell on the sky and spread from one side to the other of the realm. None of the wood elves, apart from Elladan, had seen Sui today nor knew what she had been doing for she had not bothered to try to meet them today. Eventually all getting bored together in the kitchen for they had plenty to think about but did not dare sharing any of their secrets, Olion, Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas retired early, hopping that tomorrow, today's questions would be answered.

However, contrary to the others, Legolas was not alone with his thoughts but alone with his fiancée. He held her close, pressed against his chest, a tireless smile on his face.

"_You look happy." commented Nellil, who did not understand why her prince was trying so hard to outshine the sun with his smile.

"_ I am happy." he replied, half singing.

"_ May I ask what makes you smile so?" she questioned, gently smiling. His happiness seemed to be contagious.

"_ I smile because we are at peace again." he told her before kissing her forehead. "And also because I have taken back an old habit of mine, that even if somehow bad, makes me happy too." he said looking at the stars through the window. "Very happy." he added.

"_ I guess it cannot be that bad of a habit then." answered the princess.


	22. Chapter 21: The apple fell from the tree

**Chapter 21: The apple fell far from the tree**

During the day, none of the wood elves had seen the Avari elleth. They were all curious as to why she had hidden from them for, soon, two whole days. Was the ceremony so difficult to prepare? They only understood that the ceremony was certainly one of those things that required a lot of preparation when the night fell and they went to the castle's roof terrace, where the ceremony was taking place. The whole terrace ground was covered with hand made paintings, the tables had been carved by the Avari for the occasion, the food was such a delight to look at that no one was quite sure it was meant to be eaten, and lanterns hung every here and there illuminating all the faces in the most sensual way. The wood elves had rarely seen such a beautiful scenery and realised for the first time that Avari also had a weakness for art.

Avari and wood elves mixed and talked like old friends for the first time, for this night, Avari were wearing colourful outfits and seemed less intimidating than usual. Except for Alkien. Even in his white robe, his closed face discouraged any elf from approaching him.

All of a sudden, drums were heard, and all the Avari guests sat down and Avari trainees who were not maturing, among which Mhéléane was, came out of the castle, wearing brown tights and dark blue tunics, to help wood elves to their assigned sits.

Mhéléane sat, the guest of honour, King Thranduil, between Geldrick and Alkien, at the end of a table. Galdor was seated on Alkien's left side.

On a nearby table, Legolas was seated in front of Mhélir, Elrohir near the blond prince, in front of an empty chair, Elladan in front of Albien and Olion in front of another empty chair. Elladan joked about how the gods had a developed sense of humour for having seated them all together and Albien told him Sui was the one with a developed sense of humour because the maturing were the ones who chose where everyone was to sit.

Once the trainees had brought everyone were they were meant to sit, they sat. Mhéléane was sitting near her brother, in front of Olion at who she glared daggers. Then drums were heard again. But it was another melody this time. The rhythm was beating faster and young Avari wearing brand new armours came marching one after the other to position themselves on an improvised stage. Once all of them were standing on it, the music changed and with each 'bang', they did an elegant movement with their sword. Sometimes they changed place with the person behind them. Other times, they jumped forward or cross swords with their neighbour. The show was impressive. During forty six minutes and fifty seven seconds, the maturing danced, sang and fought artistically at the same time with an incredible exactitude.

After the dancing, Alkien stood up and said a few words in Avari tongue that one of the trainees in white translated in Sindarin so that everyone could understand. After that, the captain called a name: "Hagja Azerethen". A tall Avari ellon among the maturing stepped forward and a trainee brought him a sword. A thick one, with golden ornaments and black leather covering its handle. The maturing accepted it graciously and executed the Avari salute to the assembly. Then the captain went back to his seat and Hagja, who had been named strongest of the maturing turned to face the other maturing and inspected them with his dark eyes. The Avari who were watching the scene seemed excited about what would happen next, while the wood elves were tense: the ellon inspecting the others seemed aggressive all of .

Albien put a wide smile on his face and told something to Mhélir and Mhéléane who smirked too after hearing what he had said. Olion and Legolas were confused but the twins who seemed to have understood what the Avari had said and seemed amused too. The prince bent to the side, towards Elrohir.

"_ What did he say?" he murmured. " All I could understand were the words 'plan' and 'duel'."

"_ He said that if everything was going as he had planned, the duel would be against his sister."

Legolas quickly glanced at Hagja. They were about the same size but the Avari ellon, was twice as wide as he was. He bit his lips.

"_ Albien!" called Legolas. The Avari seemed annoyed but came closer to the table, to hear what the other elf had to say. "Is Sui really going to be his opponent?"

"__ I certainly hope so._" answered the avari.

"_ Why would he want to fight her?" asked the wood elf confused. "She obviously doesn't weight a quarter of his weight. How could this fight be interesting for him?"

"_ Because if he beats her in front of everybody, Alkien will have no other choice but to give him the trainee-ship he is giving her." explained the avari. "_Beating her in public, would shame her _and show to everyone_ that she is not strong enough to mature before her time and _therefore does not deserve to be trained for Captain." Despite the outsetting changing of language, Legolas understood it all. _"And don't underestimate Sui, depending on the type of duel, she could beat him in seconds."_

The blond prince opened his mouth to ask one more question but before he had had the time to make a sound, a loud voice calling "Ly-vaïa" resonated. Things were going as Albien had planned: Hagja wanted to humiliate Sui.

Sui sighed. She thought Hagja's stubbornness to prove to the world that she was weak was a waste of time. He had beaten her many times, in different disciplines, could still beat her in all those disciplines and knowing it should suffice him. She slowly left the spot where she was standing to head towards her adversary, a small frown on her face. After all, she wasn't going to pretend she was eager to be publicly humiliated.

All the other maturing left the stage to sit among the spectators.

The adversaries bowed to each other. Then the taller one, being bold, announced that the fight was a 'free' one. Meaning that the opponents were free to chose their weapon(s), to use their environment against the other and that the duel would last until someone with authority stopped them or when one of them would abandon... or die. Since no one opposed his choice of duel type, he presented his weapon: his new sword and threw his old one away before positioning himself.

Sui raised a brow. She thought about how stupid Hagja was to give her the choice of her weapon when forcing her to use a sword would have ensured his winning of the duel. She stepped off the stage and walked towards Albien. No one was quite sure of what she was doing, and people started to murmur that perhaps it was her way to abandon. Once in front of her brother, she took her armour off and put it in her brother's arms. Alkien started massaging his temples: she planned on fighting without wearing an armour. It meant she was going to use her knives, and taking it off was her way to make this fight 'fair' for Hagja.

She then put her sword on the table. She felt a lot lighter now. She walked back to the podium, took her two knives out of under her shirt, presented them -one seemed broken at the top and the other had rectangular wholes on both its sides- then nodded to Hagja to let him know she was ready for the fight to start.

With both his hands, Hagja swung his sword right. Sui jumped back and avoided the blade. The ellon plunged his sword forward, aiming for her stomach but she jumped left and with a playful push-kick, put some distance between them. It was not a smart move from her part since his weapon was longer and his body, contrary to hers, was protected with a full armour.

Feeling being made fun of, Hagja lost his temper and ran towards the elleth. With an up movement of the sword he tried to open her skin from her hips to her face. Faster because lighter and not slowed down by neither a sword or an armour, the elleth carefully avoided the hit and and blocked the sword up by trapping its blade in one of the rectangular wholes of the knife she held in her left hand.

There. She was open. Hagja put all of his strength in his fist and aimed at her face. She didn't move fast enough this time and was blinded for a second. Her lips collided in her teeth and were now bleeding. The taste of blood in her mouth was bitter.

When she could see again, he was already going for another hit with his fist. With her right hand Sui positioned her other knife's blade in front of her face, pointing toward the ellon's fist. Hagja hadn't seen it coming. He didn't dare screaming in pain for many people were watching but would have, had this been a casual duel.

He didn't dare moving for a moment for the knife had penetrated deep in his fist. He slowly removed it from the dagger. He stared at his wounded hand and decided not to let himself being discouraged by his injury. And using his aggravated anger to multiply his strength, he tried kicking the elleth. She avoided the hit but had to let go of his sword.

Sui was panting. Moving this much was starting to tire her. She wanted to be over with it all. But her adversary was strong. Physically, much stronger than she was. Mentally, not so much but enough to kick her ass if she wasn't careful enough. His only weakness was that he was quick to anger. Actually, if he hadn't been blinded by his anger from the beginning of the fight, he could have already won by now. While he was catching his breath too, she analysed his armour: it didn't cover the hands so that the grip on the weapon could be tighter, but she had already played that card and the ellon was now conscious of that weakness. The only other weakness was the head and the neck: he was not wearing a helmet. She knew what she had to do.

"_ Lul Gijak-Ishi." (You have flowers in your blood) she told him in orcish. Avari used this language when speaking to people they disliked or to infuriate someone.

"_ Ashdautas Vrasubatlat, Ly-vaïa" (Someday, I will kill you.) answered the ellon, exasperated, before charging forward. A the last moment, Sui stepped to the side. Hagja knew she was fast and had anticipated that she could avoid the attack, so he was able to stop right away but it was too late for him the moment she had snuck behind him. She kicked hard the leg on which he put most of his weigh on, making him loose his balance. With another push from the elleth, he fell on a knee and before he had had the time to do anything. Her knife was against his throat.

Even if far from danger, Elrohir brought a hand to his throat. He remembered when she had pressed the knife against it. It was far from a pleasant memory. For as long as the blade had been against his throat, she had looked at him like one look at his enemy before bleeding them to death. She had the same expression on her face at the moment.

Nellil closed her eyes and tightened her grip on Unel's arm. She had always known Avari were different than other elves but that was too much. She didn't understand why they were so violent, why they were so cruel to each other. She realised that the Avari had, growing up hidden, wherever they came from, must have been rough and wished she could do something, anything, to make their lives easier so that none of them would ever turn their blade against their own, so that all of them would stop fearing to have weaknesses and emotions.

Unel's body had stiffened too. She had fought before, she had killed before. But she had killed orcs. No more than two or three and despite her hatred of orcs, she loathed that she had taken their lives more than she loathed them. Yet, that Avari, that not even a thousand year old elleth was making it look easy and almost normal. A cold sensation crept through her body. She was scared. Scared of Sui, scared of al the avari. If they could turn on one another, surely they could turn against the wood elves at any second, and commit a massacre.

Hagja refused to let go of his sword.

" __ Avari never give up."_ he said out loud. _"Avari would rather die with honour than live in shame." _he added low so that only she could hear it.

Sui tilted her head to the side. If she were him, she would rather die after having being humiliated on what was supposed to be her big day too. She nodded to him to let him know that she agreed to finish him. She brought her knife's blade all the way to the left side of his neck to get ready and-

"_ _ENOUGH!_" interrupted Alkien before Sui could ruin the party for the wood elves, who were now trembling. For them, killing one of their own was inconceivable. That wasn't the case for Avari. And death during the Maturing duel was a common thing. Maturing Ceremonies weren't considered memorable unless there was at least one dead and collateral damages. If the wood elves hadn't been here, Alkien would have let her kill him, and whoever would have tried oppose her.

Some Avari let their disappointment be heard through loud sighs.

Sui dropped her posture, and put her knives away. Hagja, ashamed, left in hurry.

An Avari began to sing and once the drum-elflings had picked the rhythm up, they played along with him.

_The apple fell far from the tree_

_It was left to rot,_

_But bravely it fought._

_The apple fell far from the tree_

_Too soon, it grew bitter,_

_But sour may be better..._

_The apple fell far from the three_

_But it matured anyway_

_Red-Apple is ready to slay,_

_She is ready to slay._

Sui went to sit near her brother. She had her arms crossed and was sulking.

"__ You beat Hagja, and made yourself the strongest of this generation."_ started Albien. _"What could make you sulk so when a song glorifying you is being sung?"_

"__ I wanted to eat flesh." _she bitterly answered . Albien rolled his eyes and decided that talking to Mhélir would be more interesting, and less of a waste of time.

"_ You wanted to eat flesh?" repeated the twins in unison, in Sindarin, raising a brow. The meaning had to be different from what they had just understood.

"_ _Yes."_ replied Sui. "Flesh." She frowned some more.

_The apple fell far from the three_

_The strongest, the tallest_

_Was beaten by the youngest, the smallest_

_The apple fell far from the three_

_When she dances with knives_

_The public thrives_

_The apple fell far from the three_

_But it matured anyway_

_Red-Apple is ready to slay, _

_She's ready to slay,_

Kinn-laï had an old tradition: when killing someone considered strong, they ate his remaining. They believed that by consuming their flesh, they also consumed their strength and made it their own. But the tradition being considered barbaric, the practice of cannibalism was only allowed in rare occasions and practised by very, very, very few elves nowadays. Among them Geldrick's and Sui's formal family members can still be counted.

All the wood elves at the table grimaced in disgust and none dared to ask any further question on the matter. They were certain the answers would be troubling. And assuredly terrifying.

Only Legolas was unmoved. He hadn't heard anything. He wasn't even looking in Sui's direction. His eyes were still fixed on the stage were the duel had taken place. He had always known Sui could defend herself, yes, thought she was probably better than most at fighting since she was exclusively trained by the Captain, but never expected her to beat someone in seven minutes and twelve seconds, and even less imagined her able to kill someone. No. Murder them, with calm and without hesitation. Somehow, processing this information felt like one of the hardest things he ever had to do. Could he really make friend with someone capable of doing such a thing? No one at his table seemed to have much of a problem with it. He did. He felt responsible for her now that they were friends. If he could digest what had just happened and move, he would take her in his arms and promise her that she would never have to do anything like this ever again. But even if he did, he knew she wouldn't understand why he would say that and would probably take it as an insult.

He was thrown out of his thoughts when after drums grounded another melody Sui and all the Maturing stood up and left, followed by many other Avari, among which Mhélir and Albien were.

"__ Where going everyone?_" asked Legolas to Mhéléane, in a broken avari. Like all the trainees green and brown, she hadn't moved from were she was sitting.

"__ They are going to the party." _answered Mhéléane who's angry eyes weren't leaving Olion.

"_ _Party not here? Not this._" asked the blond elf. Elladan and Elrohir laughed at how bad his avari was. Legolas ignored them.

"__ No." _answered the Avari elleth. _"This, is the ceremony."_

Legolas wanted to ask some more questions but couldn't remember any of the words he needed. He turned to the twins for help, knowing that Olion was doing his best to ignore Mhéléane. He didn't know why his friend would do such a thing and noted that he would have to ask about it later.

"__ He wants to know where the party is."_ translated Elladan.

"__ And if you could bring us there."_ added Elrohir.

Mhéléane frowned. Thinking her frown was cute Elrohir bit his lower lip.

"__ The party is happening in the King's garden. But I can't take you there. 'Children' aren't allowed there."_

"__ Why aren't all the older warriors going then?" _asked Elladan.

"__ Because they have grown tired, or, are in no need to attend this kind of parties for the moment."_ replied the elleth.

The twins looked at each other for a second then stood up to leave for the party, dragging Legolas, who didn't know what was happening, with them.

Olion stood to follow but Elrohir blocked hi way.

"_ I believe they are things you have to discuss with the young maid here." he told him before going after his brother.

Olion looked at Mhéléane who was sitting alone at the table, angry, arms crossed, fire burning in her green eyes. He thought about ignoring Elrohir's advice and leave for the party but postponing the talk, would not make it any easier. He sat in front of her: he would face the beast now.

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In the king's garden: music. Loud music. Loud music was playing and all the young adults were dancing provocatively, rubbing themselves against each other, singing, fighting with their fists, burning their shirts to keep the fire going, tattooing one another or kissing in dark corners.

The three wood elves were astonished. To them, this, was a chaotic 'party', if they could call it so. They had seen such things in human taverns. But even there the men and women weren't as wild. The dark elves seemed to be out of control. Not drunk, not at all, simply out of control.

The twins and the Silvan helped themselves with food and drinks. Elladan didn't drink, Elrohir had some of the pink liquor he had never seen before and Legolas had some wine. They looked around and noticed that very few of the maturing were present at the moment. Sui was nowhere to be seen.

"_ Unless you have a partner to mate with, you shouldn't be drinking Pink Ambrosia." said a deep voice coming from behind the wood elves. They all turned around to find Mhélir and Albien standing there. "It is very strong." finished Mhélir.

Elrohir stared at his glass. He had heard about this drink: it is a strong sexual enhancer. It was the first time he had ever had some.

"_ Thank you for the warning." answered the older twin. Not sure to be wanting to find out what kind of effect the liquid would have on his body, he put the glass on the table.

"_ Have you seen my sister?" asked Albien. " What colour was she wearing?" He sounded anxious.

"_ No." replied Elladan. "We also are looking for her but it seems the maturing have vanished."

Albien sighed.

"_ _They must still be changing._" he told himself.

Mhélir put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"__ You shouldn't worry. She will be wearing red, like we did, I am sure of it!_" he exclaimed, proud. Albien grimaced. It seemed that the tentative to help him relax had the opposite effect : it made him tenser.

"__ That is what I worry about._" He grabbed a glass and filled it with wine "_I would rather she wears green. She can fight in duels, but being in a war would inevitably lead to her death."_

The maturing joined the party and at their arrival, all the elves present shouted cheerfully to congratulate them. Most of them wore red tunic or gowns, the other either wore yellow or green clothes. It seemed the colour they wore had a meaning and the wood elves couldn't quite grasp it. They turned around to face Mhélir and Albien in order to question them on the matter, but seeing the astonished facial expression they were both wearing, they turned again to look at the maturing. In between them all, they recognised a small silhouette: Sui. She was wearing a grey gown and it earned her a few glares from the others.

"_ What is the meaning of the clothes' colour?" asked Legolas to Albien who was now frowning. "And why is Sui the only one of the maturing wearing a grey gown ?"

"_ Green clothes mean that the elf wearing it thanks the god of war, but will not join the army." started Mhélir, in Albien's stead. The taller Avari was still too shocked to speak. "Yellow clothes mean that they thank the god of war but will join the army as a scout or a spy. Red clothes mean that you honour the god of war by joining the army as a warrior and grey-"

"_ _Grey means my sister has lost her mind and decided, once more, to ignore traditions, rules, and dress codes to wear whatever she felt like wearing._" cut Albien. "_May the god of war forgive her ungratefulness_."

The Captain's son took a glass of wine and drunk it dry in a few seconds.

Sui was looking around, hoping to see faces that she liked. But being smaller than most and surrounded by so many elves, she couldn't distinguish any faces. So, she decided to entertain herself and went to dance with the Avari around the fire.

From afar, her friends were observing her, not sure if they should to disturb her. She was obviously enjoying herself like she hadn't in a while. She laughed and smiled. She had let her hair down and they were dancing along with her. The fire reflected its light on them making it look like moving dark flames. Her gown followed her movement swiftly and complimented the shape of her body.

"_ When did she become a she-elf?" asked Legolas, half recognising his friend. Most of the time, she was wearing clothes too big for her or shapeless dresses. She never brushed her hair and seemed to be dirty all the time. But right now, her skin was clean, her hair shining and there was something _almost_ sensual about the way she moved.

"_ She was always a 'she-elf', Legolas." answered Elladan, "It is only obvious now because she is wearing clothes that fits. For once."

Disinterested, Elladan started talking to Albien, who he found well educated. The blond prince turned to look at the other twin, but he had disappeared.

"_ Where has Elrohir gone?" he asked Mhélir. Legolas had guessed that it was Elrohir who was missing because the ellon wouldn't be as daring as to start a conversation with Albien knowing that the Avari disliked him profoundly.

"_ _He left_. The pink ambrosia had probably started to affect him." answered the green eyed Avari.

"_ What does it do exactly?" The prince raised a brow. He had never heard about that drink before. Mhélir stared at the prince, wondering how to explain how does the drink function in an efficient way, without getting into details.

"_ _It.._" he hesitated. "It makes your body hard." Legolas grimaced to show he didn't understand what the Avari was saying. "It makes that one part of your body hard." added Mhélir.

Legolas laughed: Elrohir wouldn't be back any time soon.

"_ What could be the purpose of such a drink?" he asked, still laughing.

"_ On the full moon, we also celebrate fertility." started the Avari. " On that day, if there is someone you would like to bed, you bring them a glass of ambrosia. If they accept it, it means that they agree to share their bed with you. It is an old tradition."

"_ But..with that drink in your system, how do you stop yourself from... linking your soul and your heart to the person you bed?"

Mhélir raised a brow.

"_ _I don't know what you are talking about_, _prince_."

"_ I am talking about marriage." answered the Silvan.

"_ There is no marriage involved in the events I described." insisted Mhélir.

"_ Do you mean to say that, for Avari, having sex, penetration included, does not correspond to getting married? That the bonding of the body does not tie the souls together?"

"_ _No, it doesn't_." answered Mhélir slightly confused. "I never heard about souls being linked forever." Legolas's eyes grew gigantic. "Avari marry each other when they love each other. When they don't any more, they are free to separate and remarry." explained the Avari, thinking that he had never heard about any married couple separate. "Also, we do not call it 'having sex' when there is no penetration..." he added.

Legolas remained silent for a while.

"_ So...you and Sui really-?" the prince stopped talking to grimace. "Yet, you aren't married nor linked for life?" The prince knew that it was none of his business but his curiosity prevailed over his will to stay socially appropriate.

"__ No, we certainly aren't!_"exclaimed the dark elf, visibly more disturbed by the thought of him and Sui being married than by the fact that Legolas was the one asking about his sex life. _"And even if I liked her, I wouldn't dare go under the process of courting her with the crazy family she has."_

"_ The process of courting her?" repeated the prince.

"_ _Aye._ For an ellon to court an elleth, or an elleth to court an ellon, in Avari culture, there is a long, and sometimes painful, process to go through first." explained Mhélir. "Isn't it the same for wood elves?"

"_ No, not at all. Wood elves are free to marry who they wish, when they wish, as long as both party agree." told the Silvan to the taller ellon. "And getting married for us is symbolised by the union of the two lovers' body and the giving of rings."

The two ellon talked some more about the differences between their culture when it came to love making and weddings. For Avari, it seemed that sex was something commonly done with whoever was available when they were taken by the surge to satisfy their physical needs. However, for wood elves, sex was something that should only be done with a spouse, or a husband. And that late partner would be the only one they would have for the rest of their lives.

Also, for an Avari to officially court someone, he/she first had to fight in a duel the person they wished to court. If the person being courted judged his/her suitor strong enough he/she agrees to take him/her seriously and introduce them to her/his family. Later on, the members of the courted's family are free to ask him in 'unfair' duels (several members of the family against the ellon/elleth). Following the duels, if the family rejects the candidate, the two elves are still free to marry each other, but shall not count on their families help to start a home of themselves. With Avari, everything always came back to strength.

Later, Mhélir was offered a glass of pink ambrosia by an elleth. He politely declined, saying he already had a partner and that they had rules not to sleep with others. Legolas concluded that him and Sui still spent nights together but said nothing. Despite having been rejected, the elleth found the courage to ask the green eyed ellon for a dance, that he gladly accepted.

Alone and bored, Legolas made his mind to go talk to Sui. But she wasn't dancing around the fire any more. She was walking against the crowd, leaving the party. Then without thinking, nor really being conscious of it, the prince's body moved to follow her.

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After a long moment spent trying to communicate with Mhéléane in broken Avari, Olion gave up on asking the elleth about her strange behaviour. The day before, she had told him something about 'not having warm hands and was upset about it. He didn't understand what it had to do with them then, and still didn't know how could having cold hands have anything to do with their already complicated relationship. Or rather, HAD anything to do with their complicated relationship, since she was done him. Yet, **she** was angry at him.

He wasn't as moved by the break up as he had expected to be, and still wished to make the best out of the night, so he joined the party in the King's garden. Like his wood elf friends before, he was amazed by the spectacle.

He looked around and only recognised Elladan, who was conversing with Albien.

"_ Where are the others?" asked the red hair to the brown headed prince. He didn't know which one of the twins he was talking to.

"_ Elrohir drunk too much of the pink ambrosia and had to retire. Urgently." Olion didn't know what pink ambrosia was but grimaced anyway. "Sui, the last time I saw her, was dancing around the fire. And Legolas, I don't know." answered the twin.

"_ Oh, ok." Olion grabbed some food. "I will go look for them then."

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Sooooo sorry for posting late :/ I have been really busy for the past few weeks and still am but I'll make sure to upload something this week end! Get ready for the next chapter because it will mark the beginning of all the 'sexy' happening in the story and you'll son start to see more clearly how Sui's has evolved from the beginning of the story.

Thanks for all the kind reviews! They make me really happy and motivate me to keep writing this fic 3


	23. Chapter 22: Ass on the grass

**Chapter 22 : Ass on the grass**

Sui went back to her tent. She had danced so much her feet hurt. She wanted to lay down and enjoy the last few hours of the day she became an adult, and had a song about her sang, on her own. She thought the emptiness of the Avari camp would be relaxing and enable her to drown herself deep in thoughts about her family to who she wished she could tell about the night.

But soon after she entered her tent, a blond head popped in, unannounced. It was Legolas. He looked lost, as if not knowing where he was. It was his first time this deep in the Avari camp, and his first time coming to her tent. He looked around the tent and didn't seem to see her.

Sui walked to him and gave a light kick in the leg to tear him out of his trance.

"_ Did you follow me here?" she asked, not too happy about it.

"_ It seems so." he answered, calmly.

Sui raised a brow and furrowed the other. Legolas was acting weird.

"_ Did you have too much to drink?" she asked him.

"_ No more than three glasses of wine." he replied, on the same calm tone. It wasn't much, he wasn't drunk.

He stared at her and she stared back. There were two minutes of awkward silence.

"_ Why did you follow me, Legolas? What do you want?" She was little bit aggressive because she was getting impatient.

"_ I am not so sure myself." was the wood elf simple answer.

There was another minute of awkward silence and uncomfortable starring during which the prince scratched the back of his head.

"_ Legolas." called the elleth.

"_ Yes?" answered the blond elf.

"_ Get out of my tent." she said.

Legolas tilted his head to the left and didn't move from where he was standing. Sui wondered if the ellon understood what she had said even though she had spoken in Sindarin.

While the elleth was lost in her thinking about what was wrong with her friend, the ellon put each one of his hands on each one of her shoulders. She raised her head to look at him as if he was crazy, unsure if she should kick him where it would definitely hurt or slap him hard so that he would come back to normal. He didn't move for a while and seemed somehow scared so she did neither and waited, both eyes squinted, ready act if need be. He slowly lowered his head to her level. She stared at him wondering if now was the moment she should act. But before she could decide on that, he had pressed his lips against hers. The kiss lasted for about a second before he stoop up straight again. Sui was so surprised she didn't move. For once, she was at loss of words. She never expected that from him. And she never expected herself not to react. But then again, what was she supposed to do? She sincerely thought he was only going to tell her something, congratulate her maybe and then stand up and leave. But no, he kissed her. Maybe he didn't mean for it to happen. Yes, Maybe he just miscalculated the distance in between them so his lips touching her was an accident. Yes, that must be it. An accident.

"_ It felt wrong didn't it?" he asked, slightly disappointed.

"_ Yes, indeed." started the elleth. "Very wrong." Still under the shock of the action and couldn't bring herself to move her body a little further away from him.

Legolas bit his lips.

"_ Shall we try again just to be sure it was a mistake?" he asked the elleth.

She furrowed a brow. _'This is Legolas...' _she thought_._ Then furrowed the other brow. _'...Asking to kiss you. A second time.'_ She grimaced. Then relaxed both her brows and against the odds, nodded, thinking that it had already happened once, so why the hell not twice?

His hands still resting on her shoulders, he bent down again and kissed the tip of her lips with the tipsof his a second time, for a short time.

He stood up straight and took his hands off her shoulders.

"_ It felt wrong, again." commented Sui.

"_ Very wrong." added the Silvan, grimacing.

They stared at each other, again. Then threw themselves in the other's arms and and kissed. There was nothing chaste about the gesture: with one hand he was holding her waist close to him while the other travelled along her body; with one hand she was holding his head firmly while the other gripped his tunic on the chest to keep him close.

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* * *

Albien and Elladan most interesting debate on the grammatical complexity of derivations in avari tongue was interrupted a second time by Olion. Or not so much interrupted than disturbed: the two ellon felt compelled to stop talking because the red headed elf had come back, alone, to them after about fifteen minutes of wandering around and was now standing there, staring at them, unable to comprehend most of what they were saying.

"_ Why aren't you with Sui?" asked Albien, hinting at Olion that he was bothering.

"_ Because she left the party." replied the wood elf.

Albien wasn't surprised that she had left. Being under 300 meant being tired quicker and more often than fully grown elves, and after having fought, even if only briefly, and danced as much as she did, it was only normal for her to have retired.

"_ Then why aren't you with Legolas?" asked Elladan, hinting at him the same thing.

"_ I was told he left shortly after Sui." answered Olion.

Albien furrowed both brows, closed his eyes, swallowed his saliva, took a deep breath and left abruptly, leaving Olion confused. Elladan was not surprised but amused. He had seen it all coming.

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* * *

The prince and the Avari broke the kiss to look at each other surprised. Neither one of them said a word. Then as suddenly as they had previously kissed, Legolas plunged his head in her neck and bit it lightly. Then he kissed it softly here and then. But impatient as she was at the moment, Sui brought his head back up, facing hers with her hands. She came closer to kiss him again but he held his head back when their lips were close. They could feel each other's breath on their face. She tried to kiss him again; but he prevented her from doing so and grinned, his eyes holding hers.

Sui recognised the smile. She furrowed her brows.

"_ Legolas." She sounded annoyed and threatening. "Do not to play predator with me." she told him, on a cold tone. "It is a game you can't win and we don't have much time before other Avari come back to the camp." she warned.

Legolas's grin grew wider.

"_ I have never lost at it before." he murmured in her ear, before biting it lightly.

"_ You have never played it with me before." she answered tightening her grip on him.

She then, released her hold on him and took a step back. She looked at him from head to toe, as if judging if yes or no he was worth playing this game with. Slowly, a smug smile appeared on her face. In an attempt to keep his teasing going, Legolas came closer to her but she pushed him away with one hand, keeping a one arm long distance between them. Then she turned her back at him. He wondered if he had angered her for a second but the thought left his mind as fast as it came, for the elleth was slowly lowering the left strap of her dress. Then the right one. The fabric slid down her body without difficulty to remain on her waist. The top of her body was completely naked, revealing the stars tattooed in white on her spine from her nape to the bottom of her back. The white of the ink contrasted perfectly with the dark colour of her skin making it look like some stars had fled the sky to come and rest on her.

Legolas was shaking. With a finger he traced them from the last one, all the way up, to the first ones. Sui shivered lightly. The prince nicely put his hands on her waist and as he was about to kiss her shoulder, she turned around to face him again, pushed him on her bed and sat on top of him.

He wasn't sure where to look any more. Her chest was naked and at his eye level. He looked at it, then at her face. He couldn't identify the expression she was wearing. His hands gripped her thighs firmly. He looked at her breast again. Then at her face. Then at her chest again and boldly aimed to reach it with a hand. She pushed it away. He bit his lips. She grinned. He tried again, with the other hand. She pushed it away too.

Sui was fairly amused by the look on Legolas's face. On it, she found confusion, excitement, anger, desire, hesitation and frustration all mixed together. Knowing that he wouldn't dare a third attempt, she started to undo the buttons of his tunic and opened it as wide as possible without removing it completely. She put both a hand on his stomach and moved it up gently, kissing the parts her hand was no longer caressing, towards his chest, past his neck, his cheek, his ears and kept her ministrations going.

The ellon's muscles tensed several times under her touch: it felt like she was burning him. But in a arousing way; her hands felt warm on his cold skin. His breathing fastened but didn't louden. His toes curled, and soon his member had hardened under her body.

Without ever kissing his lips, Sui sat back, moving her bosom slowly to feel him more. He moaned. His hands left her thighs to hold her waist still as he sat. His eyebrows were furrowed. She had tortured him for too long: she teased him did not letting him touch nor kiss her. She was right, at this game, he was no match for her.

He tried kissing her but she turned her face to the side at the last moment, so he redirected his lips towards her neck, making sure to were rough, to let her know he was getting impatient, yet pleasant so she would give up biting her lips, moan, and perhaps let him take the lead. However now and then he had stop to whine in pleasure because she was still rubbing herself, softly but efficiently, against his groin, despite his firm hold on her waist.

Legolas let go of her waist with one hand and used it to caress the inside of her thigh with it, all the way up to – before he could do anything she stood up and put the top of her dress back on. Legolas had never lacked words more than at the moment. He wanted to protest to couldn't.

Sui held him her hand to help him up. He hesitated, wandering if it was a trap or if she was still playing with him, but took it. Once he was up, she kissed him, deeply. He kissed her back, with as much passion as he had wanted to do so from the moment she had started to tease him. But all of sudden she pushed him away, violently, out of her tent and tied the entrance's inside lace so that no one could come in.

Legolas with his mouth opened, ass on the grass, tunic undone, and painfully hard sex, was so astonished that he couldn't move.

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* * *

Albien arrived to the camp. It was silent and dark for everyone was either at the banquet with the king or at the party drinking ambrosia. He looked towards his father's tent where there usually always was some light because he never slept and worked all night, but there was none. He had anticipated the mission would probably start sooner and wasn't surprised at all. His father had probably left right after him and the Maturing had left for the party.

Albien hurried to Sui's tent. He wasn't too sure about what to expect after she had raised the bar high up by doing..._things... _with the older of the two twins. Ever since he had found out about their 'affair' he had, somehow, been able to differentiate Elrohir from Elladan. No one really understood how, and neither did he. He just feels like his inside are on fire when he sees Elrohir's face and know it's him.

He arrived at her tent. There was no one in front, but the grass in front was laying as if someone had sat there. Maybe she was drunk and fell down in front of her tent when she came back. That resembled her so much. He tried to open the entrance, but couldn't. He figured she had closed it. He squinted both eyes and hesitated: should he enter? She could be alone. But if she was, why did she close the entrance when it usually stays open? And if she wasn't alone, was he even ready to handle the situation? NO. Definitely not, but he would rather be scarred for life by witnessing a nude scene -he would prefer not to ever lay eyes upon-, and endure her wrath for eternity to scare away the ellon who potentially is in his sister's company than let him do as he pleases with her.

He took a small knife out of his pocket and cut himself an entrance. He would sew it back together later, when he would be certain Sui was alone. He went inside of the tent. There was, no light, no noise and no ellon around. Only Sui, asleep in her bed, rolled inside her covers. It looked like she had a worm's body with an elf head at the end. She looked ridiculous, but seemed comfortable. Reassured, Albien took his sewing pack out of his jacket and started fixing the whole in her tent, wondering how she would react, the morning, when she will wake up vice-captain.

Once he was done sewing the extra entrance, he undid the laces of the usual entrance and left through it.

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Hiding his shameful desire for soft elleth flesh under his messily closed tunic, Legolas was walking back to the palace using the smaller and less used path he known. He met no one. And if he had met someone, he hadn't seen them for he was too lost in his thoughts.

Was throwing him out of the tent like a burglar part of the game? If it was, it was cruel and he would like to be angry about it but maybe she had suddenly came to think of him as a 'mistake' like she thought Elrohir was. If it was the case, should he be sad, then?

He frowned at the thought that Elrohir might have seen her like he had just seen her. Why? Did it mattered at all? To her? To him? Would she remember tonight, tomorrow? Would she talk to him tomorrow? Would **he** even dare to confront her tomorrow? He wasn't sure he wanted to live something as...exciting? Traumatising? -he wasn't sure- as he had just experienced ever gain. It was all too intense and none of it made any sense. He didn't even remember following her to her tent. Nor did he remember who had kissed who first. And by the Valar, why did he kiss Sui out of them all when he had Nellil for fiancée, found Unel more attractive by far, and when any other elleth would have been less of a teaser and would have had the decency to finish the job before throwing him out. He thought about it for a second and came to realise that no other elleth would have thrown him out at any moment.

Why did Sui always had to act so much like... like Sui!


	24. Chapter 23: Respect my Authority

**Chapter 23 : Respect my authority**

Albien was standing silent behind his sister. Bandages were covering his forehead. His morning had been rough. First of all, he had to woke Sui up earlier than she would have liked to wake up. When he had shaken her a little so that she would open her eyes she had screamed _"fuck you and every thing you stand for!"_, then she had threatened to sing him a song every time he would try to get some sleep, and knowing that singing was far from being one of her talent, he hesitated for a second to let her go back to sleep. Second he had had to tell her that Alkien and Geldrick had left, sometime during the night, in order to accomplish their mission. She screamed some more, broke a few things and decided to get dressed to go after them. And then, when she had headed to the entrance of her tent she had noticed that it had been cut open and sewed back together. The job was extremely well done, but not invisible. She questioned Albien about it, he told her the truth. She turned red and started throwing things around. He was fast and avoided most of them but he had never thought she would be able throw her 16 kilos heavy Sindarin and Quenya dictionary so far, what was his mistake, for the book landed right on his forehead, almost knocking him out. He made a note to himself to always remember that when angry, elleths' strength was not to be underestimated and also that everything they could reach could be turned into a dangerous projectile for it seemed their aim also got a lot better.

In the end, with three of the elders' help, he had managed to restrain the beast, calm it, and convinced it to stay at the camp in order to fulfil its duty. Actually, the word is no not so much 'convince' than 'buy' for they had to promise to Sui that in exchange of her cooperation, there would always be someone to cook for her for the next 31 years and that all of the elves present engaged themselves to back her up whenever she would want to do something for as long as she was vice Captain, even if King Thranduil himself was to oppose to it. And of course, not being a fool, the elleth had a witness join them as the three elders and her brother signed a contract to seal the agreement, so that they could not claim it a fake.

It was now ten past seven in the morning, and all the soldiers were fighting for their last day of supervised training. Only, instead of being supervised by Alkien or Geldrick, they were by Albien and Sui. Mostly Sui for she enjoyed playing with the power she had been temporarily given and for Albien wanted to observe how the pairs fought so that he could make efficient pair groups for the next day, when the scouting would start again.

The Avari had no trouble obeying Sui. Doing so was respecting Alkien's choice, their Captain's choice. And even if a few weren't sure about this choice, seeing that the elders obeyed her as they obeyed Alkien, they felt constrained to do the same.

However, the wood elves had more trouble accepting it. When Sui was explaining what exercise they would have to perform during the day when one of the reluctant wood elves, at the front, asked her how old she was to give him orders, then one at the back thought it funny to correct him and screamed "the question is not how old is she, but: how young is she?". Sui frowned and her right eyebrow shook. Albien tried to interfere but she told him not to and reminded him that he had signed a contract that forced him to let her act as she pleased, so he stepped back and held his breath.

She ordered something in Avari that most of the wood elves did not understand. Albien face-palmed himself. After that, two Avari griped each arms of the wood elf who had thought he had a fine sense of humour and brought him in front of the elleth. She congratulated him for having asked a wise question and punched him a first time, hard, in the stomach telling him that was her answer. She punched him a second time because she felt like it. Then, she told the Avari who held him to let him go and ordered to all of them to go get weights for the training. They all did, and with no complaint.

During the afternoon training, an elf was late: Legolas. The morning, he had heard that Albien and some cruel Avari were supervising the sword training because Alkien and Geldrick couldn't, for they were nowhere to be found. He had sighed thinking that Albien would make his day a hell. But after Sui had had him run in circles, do extra push up and re-paired him up with Mhélir (who for some unknown reason, was in a killing mood) because he had been late by exactly one minute and fifty-three seconds, he begged Albien, to please, become the active supervisor of the session and leave the observation work to the elleth. Albien answered him that he could do nothing about it, and, that even if he could, he wouldn't for he was enjoying to see that for once, everyone was giving the training their because for they were afraid of what the elleth would do if they didn't. To that, Legolas answered:

"_ Your sister...she irritates me." he said glaring at her, forgetting the previous night's events for a moment. " She irritates me A LOT." he bitterly added .

"_ _It seems_ all the Avari you know, irritate you." answered Albien, disinterested.

"_ Your sister more than all the others."

Hearing that made Albien smile a little. He wanted to laugh, but refused to do so in front of the prince for he feared that the wood elf would take it as an invitation for friendship despite the fact that it was not.

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When the night fell, Sui came in the tavern and sat at the back with Mhéléane and Mhélir. She took off the top of her armour, what made her feel like she was breathing again. She had been wearing it all day because her new position requires her to do so. Now that it was off, she was herself again, the young Avari elleth with crazy hair, nothing more, nor less.

She put her head on the table. Her charisma was gone at once.

"__ You know, today was only your first day."_ started Mhéléane. _"You might as well give your place to someone else if it makes you this tired when you aren't even close to get some sleep tonight."_

She shook her head as an answer but did not lift it off the table.

The siblings laughed.

"__ I hate you both." _she told them.

On the other side of the bar, an elleth, a wood elf, fell off her chair. The friends she was sitting with hurried to help her up, but she was unable to support her own weight so they had to carry her away. Not long after she was gone, an Avari ellon broke a chair out of anger, then left the room. Once he had also left , loud murmurs spread.

Curious, Mhélir asked one of the Avari near by, what all the fuss was about. He was told that, a week ago, the two elves had joined bodily. However, the Avari was unaware of what the act meant for wood elves and loved another elleth. Since then, because she had been rejected despite the fact that she still ate properly, she had lost a considerable amount of weight in only a few days, and regularly caught fevers, leaving her weaker every day that passed.

"__ Is there no cure for her illness?"_ asked Mhélir.

"_ _A cure?" _The older Avari laughed out loud. _" How do you put together a broken heart when the organ is physically intact? There is no cure for love, kid!"_

Mhélir growled. 'Kid' wasn't a word he liked to be directed at him.

"__ WAIT!"_ shouted Mhéléane. "_She is dying because she cannot be with who she wants?"_ The older Avari nodded. "_Can't she redirect her affection on someone else, like every one else does?"_

"__ Avari can." _started the older elf._ "Most of the time." _he added._ " But other elven tribes are different. There are people they like and/or, desire, then, there is the one person they love. And there won't ever be another for them. Which is why, when they cannot be with that person, most of the time their soul rather leave to rest in Mandos than stay here and suffer for as long as they will live."_

The three younger elves stared at each other horrified. The thought that some elves could die, not in battle, not from a wound, not even from poison, but from despair terrified them. They were happy that as Avari, it was very unlikely that such a fate would be theirs, and fearful because the possibility that, maybe, they would have to bear the death of an innocent for they did not return their feelings, existed.

_'Maybe that innocent will be Legolas.'_ thought Sui. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she slapped herself. Since when did her mind wandered to the prince? It had never happened before. Had it? She couldn't remember. She wasn't sure. Was it because of what had happened the night before? Maybe. She had been careful to busy herself as much as she could during the day to avoid having the time to even think of thinking about it. And when seeing his face during the afternoon had reminded him of all that so she had punished him for it, claiming it was because he had been late. Did he think about the previous night too when he saw her at the training? If he had, he didn't show it. He had barely even looked at her. WAIT! How did she notice that?!

What was he thinking about what had happened? Was he even thinking about it? Did he remember? Maybe he was drunk that night, after all.

Sui sighed several times. All those unanswered questions were hamming her head.

_'It doesn't matter. It happened, but it's over. I have nothing to give him and there is nothing I want from him.' _She told herself.

* * *

Armour back on, Sui left the tavern alone. She had to get back to work. Not looking forward to doing all of the paper work she had to take care of, she walked as slowly as she could in the long corridor. She thought that Thranduil's castle, built in the mountain, was very similar to what she imagined dwarven caverns would look like : rocky and classy at the same time. It was beautiful yet very rustic although the rocks had all been carefully carved into pillars.

She took the stairs up and passed in front of the throne room. The door was closed. She wondered if she would ever get inside. She had seen the throne from afar when guards had left the doors open once and had decided that one day she would sit on that throne. Even if it meant fighting the guards first. But she wouldn't do that tonight. She didn't have the strength to at the moment.

She turned left, exited the castle and headed for the camp. It seemed further away that usual because she was tired. She walked slowly, the armour on her back had become a burden, her eyes closed at intervals and her legs were heavy. She stopped, closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath and opened them again.

Legolas stood in front of her. She didn't say a word and wasn't even sure he was really here. He didn't say a word either and kept starring at her. She closed her eyes, thinking that when she would open them again, he would have disappeared just like he had appeared. But when she opened her eyes, he was still there. Starring. Like he had starred at her before kissing her out of the blue the previous night. She took a step back to prevent any contact from happening this time.

"_ You're blocking the way." finally said Sui. Legolas didn't move. He grimaced but remained silent. "Aren't you going to step aside?" she insisted.

"_ No." answered the prince, calmly. "I am coming back from the camp, I have been looking for you."

"_ Well, you have found me." She crossed her arms. "What is it that you want?" She raised a brow.

"_ Even when you speak on a normal tone you sound aggressive. Why are you always so aggressive ?" asked the prince. Sui frowned but did not answer. Legolas didn't say another word so she tried going around him but he stepped to the side to block her way.

She stepped back again. Legolas guessed she was afraid he would attempt touching her. He found it amusing to see she was scared of a caress from him when she didn't blink once before being punched hard in the face.

"_ If you have come to unnerve me, consider it a success! Now let me go, I am busy!" she exclaimed angrily, but with less conviction than she usually had. She pushed him aside and made her way toward the camp.

"_ No, wait!" pleaded the ellon. She stopped and turned her head to the side to look at him. He plunged his right hand in the pocket of his tunic. Seemingly took something out of it, grabbed one of Sui's hands with his left hand, and deposed the object he taken from his pocket on her palm. She starred at the object. A bracelet. A silver bracelet. A shiny silver bracelet. She furrowed a brow, raised the other and looked at Legolas questioningly.

"_ And what am I supposed to do with that?"

"_ Wear it?" asked the prince. "It's a bracelet, it doesn't have many uses you know." She starred at the bracelet like she had never seen one before. " It is a gift. For you." he added, closing her hand around it.

She looked at him.

"__ A gift?_" she repeated. "What for?" she asked confused.

"_ I don't know." He shook his shoulders. "Because I like you." It came out sounding more like a question than a statement.

Sui took one of his hands and put the bracelet in it.

"_ If it's not something that can be eaten nor used to cut things open then I have no interest in it." she told him.

He inspected her for a second. She wore no jewels.

"_ I am sorry." he said, so low she almost did not hear it.

"_ Sorry for what?!" she exclaimed. "Giving me present?" she asked, half laughing. "What has gotten into you,_ bald drawf_?!"

Legolas knew she was trying to get herself out of this situation. She didn't how to deal with what was happening. He had exposed his feelings, she had gracefully avoided to express hers and was trying to change the subject by making jokes. If she was doing it not to hurt him, she had failed. The harm was done and he felt almost as embarrassed than hurt.

"_ I just thought I should tell you how I feel." he started, not looking into her eyes. "YOU told me that honesty was important, so I wanted you to know." He paused. "I didn't want you to think yesterday night was just me...using you."

Sui bit her lips. She couldn't think of anything to say to save her from having this talk. It was touching, that he liked her, it was also very flattering, but what was she supposed to do with those feelings of his? She didn't like him. Did she? At least, she didn't think so. She had enjoyed feeling his lips against hers, his skin against hers, his excitement upon discovering her body, but that was all. It was physical, nothing else. If she liked him back, she would feel something else, wouldn't she? What, she didn't know, but something. Perhaps jealousy. But the thought that he was Nellil's and not hers didn't bother her. He was a prince, Nellil was a princess, they were meant to be together. It really was nothing she could do something about. Therefore, it was nothing she would let her mind be bothered by.

"_ You could have..." She hesitated. "**Walked away** and avoided to both of us this awkward and uncomfortable moment." she told him. "But no. You had to stay here and keep going about it." She sighed and furrowed both her brows. "You're an idiot."

"_ If liking you makes me an idiot then I might be the biggest idiot out of all the idiots then." A bitter smile appeared on the corner of his lips. " I might even be the king of idiots for I am the only elf dumb enough to fell for your charms, although they are unexciting."

"_ That," she started more confused than annoyed. "didn't make any sense."

"_ Well, you don't make any sense either, most of the time!" he exclaimed.

The elleth looked right, then left. There was no one around.

"_ Why would I want you ?" she asked. "What could possibly make me want to be with you?"

It was clumsy, but it was her way of giving him a chance. Legolas dull expression changed: he put a smug smile on his face, what made Sui immediately regret having said those words. Now, despite having made it clear that she didn't share his feelings, he thought he had some kind effect on her.

"_ For starters I am a prince." he said as if it would bear any importance to the elleth. He knew very well it wouldn't but it made her smile. "I also happen to be very charming." He winked at her. She constrained herself from laughing. " And my hair are the blondest you have ever seen and will ever see." he finished, imitating his father's posh accent.

The elleth burst out in laughters. His arguments were the worst she had ever heard, but his sense of humour was effective.

"_ Can't you do any better?" She asked still laughing. "I am a very exigent elleth, you see." she joked.

"_ I can also make your _brother_ and _father_ angry only by happening to be in their surroundings." Sui laughed harder. " I am funny too, it seems. A perfect party, I assure you!" he added.

"_ I am laughing at you!_ Not at your terrible sense of humour!_" she managed to say while laughing. Her abdomen started to hurt because she was laughing too much.

" _ I still am the reason why you are laughing." he told her. " That's good enough for me!"

Sui stopped laughing and smiled almost shyly. That last statement had made her face feel warm. It was both an uncomfortable and a pleasant feeling.

Legolas smiled too.

"_ I would give up my crown if it would make you smile this way everyday!"

Sui's smile disappeared to let place to a grimace.

"_ That was too much." she reproached to him.

"_ I thought so too...is it too late to take that one last bit back?" he asked, furrowing one brow.

"_ _Yes."_ she answered coldly before walking towards the camp again.

Legolas bit his lips and watched her leave. After a few steps, she stopped. He wondered what she was thinking about. She turned around, walked towards him and when she was close enough, stood on the tip of her toes to gain some height and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Legolas did not move. He was too confused. Hadn't she just rejected him?

"_To be clear," she started. "It doesn't mean that I like you nor that I feel good about what we're doing." she said looking straight into his eyes.

"_ I am afraid I don't understand." His toes curled in his boots. "What are we doing?"

She sighed and looked at him exasperated. He really was an idiot. She grabbed his collar and brought him down to her face to kiss his lips, briefly, but greedily. Legolas opened his eyes wide.

"_ Was that clear enough?" she asked him. He brought a hand to his lips, looked at her still surprised by her last move then nodded. He wondered if she would get angry if he asked her to 're-explain' that last bit. "Good." she said before leaving him standing there, overwhelmed by contradictory feelings and a very specific kind of fear that she seemed to know how to awaken in him. He couldn't distinguish most of those feelings for they mixed together and clouded the clarity of his thoughts, but he was sure irritation was one of them. Irritation, because there was no controlling nor predicting what the elleth would do next. She could wake up tomorrow and decide that she really didn't care about him, and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Yes, he was irritated because she somehow left him powerless and made him vulnerable. On the other hand, he found great pleasure and satisfaction in the fact that he had managed, he wasn't sure how, to have her open up to him. She made him understand that she didn't like him, and maybe she really didn't, but she never dared saying it out loud and she gave him a chance... so... she must have a weakness for him too?

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* * *

"_ You're late." said the elleth, a serious look on her face. "You have made me wait. And I don't like waiting." She put a hand on her hip.

"_ I am sorry, my lady." replied the Prince. He took her hand and kissed it. " I had to take care of some business that couldn't wait." He kissed her hand again. "But I intend on making amends." He took a silver bracelet out of his pocket and wrapped it around her wrist. Surprised by the gesture for offering gifts was not exactly something Legolas usually did, unless he had done something truly wrong and wanted forgiveness, Unel squinted her eyes and examined him. He was smiling. No, grinning.

"_ You look overly happy." she observed. "You offered me what I can tell is an expensive bracelet." she stated. "What is going on?"

Legolas raised a brow.

"_ Can I not be happy about seeing your enthusiasm for the bracelet?"

"_ I believe, my lord, you are mistaking suspicion for enthusiasms." She put both hand on her hips. "Why are you so happy ?"

"_ Does it matter so much ?" asked the prince.

"_ I will tell you if it does or not once I have heard why you are so happy."

The Silvan laughed. She was tenacious, he liked it.

"_ Are you trying to break me out of my state of happiness ?"

"_...No..." she answered hesitantly as she realised that it was exactly what she was doing. "It's just... I find this sudden burst of joy suspicious."

"_ 'Sudden burst of joy'?" he repeated. "Am I to understand that I usually do not spread waves of happiness around me?" He smiled cockily.

Unel raised a brow and decided to take the challenge.

"_ Well, during the past two weeks you have mostly been moody, tired, angry, stressed, ingrate..." Legolas rolled his eyes. "Shall I continue, my lord? I still have about 47 other adjectives to describe the 'waves' you have been generously 'spreading'." She returned his cocky smile.

"_ Have I been such bad company?" asked the prince.

"_ The worst." immediately replied the elleth, still smiling. "But you will make it up to me." she told him.

Legolas raised both brows. Had she just ordered him something?

"_ And how am I to do that?" he asked, curious.

"_ The bracelet was a good start." she started. " But it isn't enough." She shook her head.

"_ What should be my next move then ?"

"_ Allow me revenge ." she answered, looking straight into his eyes.

Revenge? What was she talking about. Legolas clumsily swallowed his saliva as he felt a weight on his chest. Guilt? If that is it, he had never felt it so strongly before. He felt as thought his lungs where being crushed, unabling him to breathe.

"_ W-what do you mean?" he stuttered, failing to hide his panic.

Unel noticed the prince was pale and his breathing quickened. It confirmed he had something to hide. But since he was pretending (or rather trying to pretend) even now, that nothing was wrong she concluded that questioning him would be useless for he wouldn't give an answer. So she would have to investigate about it all later.

She turned around, walked a few steps, bent down and picked something up. When she turned back around, Legolas could see she was holding a bow and a quiver.

"_ You won last time," she started, "So **this** time, I will not underestimate you." He relaxed his face and smiled, failing to catch the bitterness in her voice. "I will be merciless." she added.

Legolas naively thought she was talking about the little contest they were about to have. He liked that she had thought about organising it. He liked that she knew him so well she always was a step ahead of him. It made their relationship simple. It was the only simple relationship he had and 'simple' felt good. Simple made him feel free.

"_ Oh, then I shall actually open my eyes to shoot this time." He grinned.

"_ Let's see if 'his Highness' still brags after the duel."

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* * *

Nellil emptied her mind. She put her left foot forward, straightened her back, grabbed an arrow and shot it. Then she shot three other arrows, one after the other, missing the target's centre by less than a centimetre.

Albien was impressed. Very impressed. It had been only a few days since she had started learning and she was already better with a bow than Sui would probably ever be. The princess was undoubtedly gifted with a bow. It seemed like a common talent wood elves shared.

"_ I don't know what to say." started the Avari. "_You are getting better at this faster than I expected._"

That was the closest thing to a compliment Nellil had ever heard coming from her teacher. Overtaken by excitement, she jumped on Albien and firmly wrapped her arms around his neck, locking him in a tight embrace.

The Giant's son's whole body stiffened. His arms remained down and his hands closed into fists. No one, but Sui, had ever dared hugging him before. He wasn't sure he liked being hugged. He had avoided all possible situations that could lead to people hugging him because it made him uncomfortable, feeling soft and tender. And Avari aren't soft. Even less _tender_. He also didn't like other living and talking creatures much: they talked too much and made everything more complicated than it was. Especially elleths. He thought they were stubborn, violent and cunning. Or at least Avari elleths were. Nellil and the wood elves elleths on the other hand, he didn't know enough about them to tell, what scared him even more. Maybe, they weren't like Avari elleths...but maybe they were worse and hid it better.


	25. Chapter 24 Part 1: Priorities

**Chapter 24: Part One: Priorities**

**Things you might want to know before reading this chapter: **

As it was mentionned earlier in the story, Mhéléane's whole family died long ago, during an open war against the Hwenti. Mhélir is the only family she has left. So basically she was really, really, really young when it all happened and the only 'female' model she has ever liked and had is Sui. Which is why they tend to agree on things, make the same mistakes...However Mhéléane is only closed on herself because she is afraid of loosing people she loves (so she doesn't want to let anyone in) while Sui has trouble differentiating emotions from one another and mostly ignores every feeling she can't idenfy. It helps her think straight.

Plus, it is widely accepeted by Avari that being governed by one's feeling is mostly negative, leads you to do stupid things, and prouves that you have no control over yourself. Basically, acting solely because of emotions/feelings makes you a savage, an uneducated person, an animal to them.

Yes, Avari do think most wood elves are crazy because they allow their every emotions to show on their face and guide them through life.

And it's also why Sui is quite unpopular, she is always overtaken by rage what is not seen as either attractive nor wise but rather as distateful and childish. Also because she is incredibly selfish and allow herself to be above the rules but that you already know x)

* * *

Olion joined Legolas on the wall. He was supposed to be there two hours ago, but something- no, someone, had stubbornly blocked his way, sent him mixed messages of threats and advances before bursting into tears. Or fake crying. But it had been real enough for him to crack and offer his assistance. So when he saw Legolas's warm smile greeting him despite being late, his first reaction was to punch him. Hard.

Taken by surprise, the blond elf didn't even try to avoid the vengeful fist and receive it on the nose. A small cracking sound was heard making the prince cringe.

The blond elf looked up at Olion. For a second he thought about returning the favour and breaking his friend's nose. Then he realised that rushed and stupid decisions were the reason why he was lying to not one but three elleths for his own convenience, so he did nothing but glare at Olion.

"_ Aren't you even going to ask why I hit you?" asked the red head, still pissed.

"_ No." He touched his nose as if to make sure it was painful. He cringed. It was painful. "I won't give you the satisfaction of doing so. But I will ask you why you aimed at my nose when you know very well how sensitive I am about being hit on the face!" dryly replied the prince. Legolas wasn't superficial, he was just Thranduil's son, and no son of the party king was to be inelegant in any circumstance. Especially not with a father who didn't miss an occasion to point at how appearances was important.

Olion chose to ignore this comment.

"_ I just saw Unel." he started. "She was furious. She begged me to tell her what you were hiding from her." Legolas bit his lips and his heart beats slowed down painfully. "And I told her I didn't know. Do you know what else I didn't know? That you were still courting her. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!? Didn't we already talk about this and how it would turn out?"

"_ I can explai-"

"_ NO!" he screamed! "You can't. Because there is nothing to explain! You are my friend so I will go ahead and pretend that nothing is happening between the two of you. AGAIN. And in the eventuality that nothing is happening between the two of you, like it better be the case, it doesn't give you the right to give her hope that one day, maybe, she will be with you!" He paused to breathe. Legolas didn't dare say a word. If he tried to lie Olion would know it, and it seemed that Unel didn't really say anything apart from the fact that she thought he was hiding something. She omitted the caresses, the cuddling, the kissing, the touching. Although, recently, all this had heppened less and less. They mainly trained and talked for hours the past days. "What you are doing to her, and to Nellil, is cruel. And for the Valar's sake! If she hasn't told anyone that your hands have been all over her body when you discovered she was back, why do you hide things from her?". '_That's not entirely true_, thought the prince, _not ALL over her body. At least not since she has come back_'. "You, more than anyone else KNOW she is trustworthy! And not knowing **everything** has always made her mad and you know it, so please, avoid both of us a major headache, and spill your secret before she makes bigger accusations than claiming you and Sui are having an affair."

Legolas bit his lips harder and said nothing. Olion turned into a stone. No words could come out of his mouth. Was his friend's silence really implying what he thought it was implying?

"_ Olion breathe, you are paler than I am." said Legoals. Olion took a deep breath. "Sui thinks of me as no more than a friend and-"

"_ Stop right there." cut the red head, holding his hand up. " Your secret is that you have feelings for Sui?" Legolas hesitated a second, then gave a slight nod. " I understand why you would keep that a secret." he said, more amused than angry. "You do realise that if she finds out she will use you like a puppet to have whatever she wants."

"_ Good thing all she ever wants is food." joked the Silvan.

"_ Wait, did you confess already?" asked Olion. Legolas nodded. "How did she react? What did she say?" It seemed rage had vanished away from the low elf to let curiosity and a drop of horror surface.

"_ She told me I was an idiot." answered Legolas, embarrassed.

"_ Because you are!" exclaimed the other elf. "Who in their right mind, would be dumb enough to let themselves fall for someone who's heart is more guarded than your father's jewellery box, if existing at all!"

Legolas blinked a few times.

"_ How do you know about my father's jewellery box?" He raised a brow.

"_ Because the five guards in charge of watching after it, even though it is hidden in a secret room and there are 12 locks on it, and each one of those lock's key were hidden in different places in your father's inaccessible quarters, hate their job and complain about it all the time." They laughed: the king sure loved his precious gems. When they calmed down, Olion started again: "Listen, Sui and you, it's not going to happen any more than you and Unel for the same reason: you are betrothed." Legolas rolled his eyes. "And even if by any miracle you could be together and she was to take you as her girlfriend" Legolas growled when hearing the word, but didn't contest, after all, she was more manly than he was most of the time. " she would only be doing so to entertain herself."

"_ Do you think her so selfish and heartless?" asked Legolas, holding on the idea that this 'thing' he had with her could become more than a 'thing'. Actually, he wished it could blossom into more than a thing.

"_ She is my friend, and I like her every bit as much as I like you. But there is only so much we can expect from someone who would kill one of their own without hesitation." Conscious that he was killing a dream, he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Besides, Sui might end up eating you if you stay around her for too long." he added.

"_ I fail to see how that would be a bad thing!" answered the prince, grinning.

"_ You are disgusting." said Olion taking his arm off his friend's shoulder. "And that comment will haunt me for the rest of my life." Olion closed his eyes and shook his head to think about something else. "I meant it literally. She likes eating flesh." He grabbed Legolas's arm. "Elf flesh." he cleared.

A cold sensation crept down the prince's spine. "So be smart, and END whatever you think you are doing with her, now, before like Unel, she gets a hold too strong on you for you to let go ."

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* * *

"__ So you don't have a problem with me doing this?" _asked Mhéléane squinting her eyes. It made her appear mysterious since the only light in the tent came from a candle put in the middle of the table she was sitting at.

"__ Absolutely none. You can do whatever you want." _assured Sui. She sounded very uninterested and unmoved by the whole situation. She was sitting straight in her chair, face neither close nor open. She very much looked like Alkien at the moment, thought Albien in silence. She had the same completely unconcerned expression that his father wore when being impartial.

"__ How can you NOT have a problem with that?!" _Shouted Mhélir, hitting the table.

"__ Why should I have any problem with that? It's none of my business." _Sui furrowed a brow._ "Nor of yours, actually."_

Mhélir looked at Albien who wasn't saying a thing. The green eyes ellon was not pleased.

"__ Can you, PLEASE, say something?" _he asked his friend. It didn't sound like a plea for help.

"__ No."_ replied Albien, shaking his shoulders. _"I am happy to hear that Mhéléane is being courted by Prince Elrohir." _offered the provisory Captain. _"Now I can sleep knowing that he is not trying to sneak in my sister's tent."_ he said. He wasn't just being selfish, he also agreed with Sui. It was none of their business what Mhéléane did. She had been sexually mature for a long time and had the right to do what she pleased with who pleased her, just like every other elleths. Unless they weren't 300 yet and the adult responsible for them didn't think her ready for the adventure sex was, like it was the case now. Mhélir growled. _"If we are done here, there are other complainants waiting to consult us." _Mhélir didn't move from his sit and kept glaring at his friend. Albien wasn't shaken off by the threat but tried to put himself in Mhélir's shoes. He remembered very well how he felt when he had heard Sui had had interest for the ellon: as if he had failed to protect his sister from evil. Him, Mhélir and Legolas had this one thing in common: a feeling of uneasiness, danger, annoyance, when Elrohir was near. They didn't hate him, he was far from being a horrible person. He was even friendly. But all of them felt like the twins knew more about everything and everyone than they did. Elladan didn't make it obvious, what made him more appreciable than Elrohir, who didn't hesitate to use what information he had to help, or perhaps manipulate everyone. _"Alright,"_ started the Captain again, giving up. He turned to face Mhéléane._ "tell Elrohir, if he wants anything from you, he will have to fight Mhélir first. If your brother finds him worthy of you then maybe he will grant you permission to be with him. And in the case Elrohir wins, he won't need any permission, of course."_

Mhélir seemed to breathe again and laid back on his chair, a satisfied smile on his face. He hadn't gone this far when Mhéléane fancied Olion because he knew the ellon wouldn't have dared doing much to her. Elrohir? After what happened with Sui, he didn't trust one second.

"_ _You know very well he doesn't stand a chance! Except by you and one or two others, Mhélir has never been defeated by any one he fought a duel with!" _screamed the elleth.

"_ _And as long as he hasn't gained your brother's consent, you mustn't be alone with him."_said Albien. The trainee's jaw dropped open. _"My decision is final."_

"__ SUI?!" _shouted Mhéléane, hitting the table in the same manner her brother previously did.

Sui hesitated. She grimaced and thought about the situation.

"__ I agree with the Captain."_ she finally said. Every one in the room was shocked. None of them expected her to take Mhélir's party. _"You wouldn't want to rush things and realise midway that you are too far gone and can't go to back."_ she explained. Everyone's shock seemed to have amplified. _"I mean, you've only talked together twice or thrice...If he is serious about you, like he should be, and you about him...then I would even advise for the both of you to wait a little before engaging in anything you could regret. It's not like your time is limited."_She shrugged.

"__ You didn't wait." _accused the younger elleth. Nope, Sui hadn't waited. As soon as she had reached sexual maturity she had enjoyed it plainly. But she wasn't like Mhéléane, she had jumped right in, head first, because she had been more than ready for it all. She felt no guilt for any of the things she had done, and planned on doing most of them again. Mhéléane on the contrary was uncomfortable around most ellon, especially Albien for some reason, and mostly toyed with them during a few days without giving them anything in return.

"__ No I didn't wait." _she said calmly._ "But no matter how similar we are, we couldn't be more different. What I do, you can't necessarily do, nor have to be able to do, and most of the time, probably shouldn't do."_

"__ HIM AND I AREN'T GETTING MARRIED!"_ shouted Mhéléane. _"Why does it all have to be so difficult for me?!"_

Albien nodded to Sui to tell her to answer. He was making sure she had read the laws like he had asked her and remembered them.

"__ Because you are under 300 so Mhélir is responsible for you until you come of age."_ her tone was monotonous and she looked bored. _"He can't forbid you and Elrohir to be together. However he can ask for him to court you properly, hence, fight him for you, and force you to have a chaperon in order to ensure Elrohir's intentions towards you are more than physical."_

"__ I liked you better when you weren't vice-captain."_coldly said Mhéléane before angrily rushing out of the tent.

Mhélir saluted his Captain and vice Captain then went after his sister. She would be furious and cruel with everyone for a while, but surely she would thank them later.

Sui sighed and let her head drop on the table.

"__ You are doing great so far." _complimented Albien.

"__ Really?" _she lifted her head up to look at him_. "Because I feel like every single elf who walked out of that tent was either pissed or depressed."_

"__ Did you come out of this tent happy when you came seeking for counsel to Father?"_She shook her head. _"Then trust me, you are doing good."_

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* * *

After a few more long hours of listening to annoying stories and trying to fix problems that really weren't problems, Sui collapsed on her bed. The past two days, she had slept a total of 4 hours and only had 3 free right now, at this very moment, that she could use to rest before translating reports so that the king and his council could understand them.

At the very moment she closed her eyes, she heard someone come in her tent, unannounced. She told herself once more that she should relocated her tent to not be bothered any more.

"_ Hey!" cheered Legolas. He scratched his face, on the small band aid's edge covering his broken nose. The pain made him shiver a little.

"_ _Not right now, I am trying to rest. I had a rough morning_." she mumbled, not bothering to look at him. " And you shouldn't come here."

"_ Good morning to you too..." replied the ellon as he allowed himself to sit on the border of her bed and remove the hair that was covering the elleth's face with his hand. " I was discreet. And if any one saw me, we can say I was here for work." He sounded happy despite the cold welcoming.

Sui pushed his hand away and opened her eyes. They were red.

"_ If you are not here to be of use to me then please leave." she insisted. "I am not in the mood to socialise. Not with anyone."

"_ Except," cheerfully started the prince, "I am not 'anyone', and," he held his left hand up to present a small package wrapped in plastic bag. "I brought you this".

Recognising were the bag came from, Sui forgot her body felt heavy and jumped on ellon to rip it off his hands. She quickly opened it and her face immediately light up.

"__ Almond!"_ she happily exclaimed. _"Wonderful!"_ She greedily took a big bite of the cake covered in almonds.

Legolas laughed a little because she ate like child, letting crumbs drop all over her mattress. He also find it amusing how she enjoyed the cake with so much passion but had refused a fine expensive bracelet as thought it was a dry stick.

"_ Sometimes, I feel like you care for me only because I bring you food from the royal kitchen." said the blond elf, pretending to be complaining. Only he was only half-pretending. The thought that she was really just using him, like Olion suggested, was becoming more real to him.

Sui squinted her eyes. She knew he was asking for affection and wasn't willing to give him any. Not now at least. But she sat up anyway and kissed his cheek.

The smug smiled that appeared on his face made her regret her nice gesture.

"_ How smart of you to notice I am using you." she told him. His smiled disappeared. Was she being sarcastic? Was that meant to be a joke? It wasn't funny, not from where he stood. He seemed hurt and disappointed. She had ripped him off his joy faster than she taken the cake from his hand. "Oh!" she exhaled. "Don't make this face. I can't handle any more drama today." she told him.

Disappointment turned into anger.

"_ You really ARE using me for food, information on the king's agenda and other services" he accused. " You don't care about me at all. You just-"

"_ OKAY!" shouted the elleth so that he would shut up. "NO! I thought I made it clear that I didn-"she paused. "don't" she corrected, surprised of having made such a mistake. " That I don't 'like' you the way you make it sound like you like me-"

"_ 'Make it sound'" he repeated. The expression didn't please him. Its use convinced him that she didn't trust him when he told her how he felt.

"_ But you do have ..." she hesitated. "my..." She grimaced. It looked like whatever she was about to say was physically painful for her to say " ...af- affection." she finally managed to blurt out. Her cheeks weren't pink, but if Avari blushed, she sure would be blushing right now, thought Legolas. He was so surprised by her admitting that she bared some affection for him that he wasn't sure what to answer. He stared at her hoping to find his words on her face. But it was blank if not for a slight frown of confusion. She looked like she had accomplished an incredible effort and could not believe it herself.

"_ Then please, show me, tell me you care more often." nicely requested Legolas. He knew he might be asking too much, but he would never have any display of 'affection' from her if he didn't force it out.

"_ Yeah," she said sounding unconvinced, bringing her attention back on the cake. "I don't know how to do that." she shook her head. "That is not something Avari do."

"_ That is what wood elves do." he firmly answered.

The tone Legolas used unnerved her. She wanted this talk to be over and wanted him out of her tent now. She made an effort to share her feelings, despite it being difficult, and instead of being grateful for it, what was he doing? Asking for more. The logic behind the manoeuvre escaped her.

"_ What should I do?!" she half yelled, brows furrowed. "What do you want me to do?! Scream in the streets that-"

"_ Have dinner with me." he calmly answered, smiling.

Sui's anger vanished. He wanted to have dinner with her? What?

"_ I don't see the point of that." she said raising a brow. "If what you want is me to share **my** food you can count me out." She put the piece of cake behind her as if to protect it. "If you want to eat in my presence, you better bring your own food and don't flirt with mine!" she warned.

Legolas laughed. It seemed that having dinner the way he meant it was not something Avari did either. He thought about explaining the concept to her but decided it was better not to. As long as she didn't know what it meant, he could enjoy 'threatening' her to have dinner with her.

"_ Then you propose something." he told her.

She was confused by his reaction but was too lazy to ask any question at the moment.

"_ Let's train together." she offered.

He tilted his head, right then left. Closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It seemed Avari had absolutely no sense of romance. Or it could just be her who had no sense of it.

"_ Training is something you do with your brother or your friends, not with your-" he sopped himself.

"_ Your what?" she asked. She wasn't trying to make him more uncomfortable than he was, but to figure out what he thought they were. "I am listening." she insisted.

The prince felt his cheeks and ears warm up and under the pressure blurted:

"_ J-Just don't ask- ask me, to train with you!"

Sui felt a little offended but once more was to lazy to go on about it. If he couldn't recognize an honour when presented to him then it was too bad for him!No other Avari vice-captain would ever offer him that chance, and neither would she ever again.

"_ How about asking you to walk with me in the garden?" she offered.

"_ No, we can't go there together again. The maids can hear us talk when we are there." he said grimacing.

Sui looked pensive for a second. Suddenly, a smiled appeared on her face.

"_ Follow me!" she told the wood elf, before going past him and exiting the tent. He followed her without asking any question.

From afar, Albien saw Legolas running after Sui. They were heading for the castle, it seemed. He didn't know what was going on and thought about having someone follow them for him. Then he realised how ridiculous that would be. There were friends, had been so for almost two months by now, and it was about time he accepted it. Plus, she had proven herself able to make good decisions this morning. Still, it bugged him that she would give up on her rest for company. She usually didn't prioritize socialising to sleeping.


	26. Chapter 24 Part two: Aren't you cold?

**Chapter 24 part two : Aren't you cold ?**

Sui lead Legolas through tunnels under the castle. They eventually opened on the outside, on a lake. The Lake were Legolas builds boats when he feels the call. He didn't dare telling her. He preferred it to remain a secret from her, for now.

They sat around the lake and talked for a while. She told him about the tattoos that covered her body. She said that she had 9 of them painted on her body. He of course asked to see them but she refused claiming there were secrets meant to be found, not to be shown. He wondered how he could have missed 8 of them the night she had taken her gown off in front of him. Then he remembered that he could hardly focus on anything then, and realised he didn't even remember what colour that gown was.

He told her about humans, dwarves and other species, she had never seen and sometimes never even hear of. She couldn't believe there were so many different creatures on middle earth and found it even more incredible that one of his closest friends was a human King who married the twin's sister. She had many questions about Arwen and accused Legolas of lying when he told her Arwen was an angel compared to her brothers. Sui couldn't process the idea that brothers and sisters raised in the same environment by the same family could be so different.

At some point, Sui laid down, her head on the prince's knees and closed her eyes. He had wanted to kiss her but she had already fallen asleep and looked peaceful, for once.

Because the air was glacial, and she was wearing summer clothes, he took his cape off his back to cover her with it. She turned around and pushed it away without awaking. He put it on top of her again. It remained on her for no more than a minute before she opened her eyes and pushed it away.

"_ I am not cold, but thank you." she told him before closing her eyes again.

"_ How can you not be cold? Winter is close and you are wearing no more than a shirt and a pair of shorts." He raised a brow. "Do you not feel the cold?"

"_ No, I don't." she replied, rolling over on her back. She opened her eyes to look at him. "Or rather it doesn't affect me like it does you and the others."

Legolas put the cover on top of her again.

"_ Please, stay covered. I would rather you didn't fell ill on my watch."

She removed it again.

"_ I like the cold. I don't want your cape." she replied, slightly annoyed. "Besides, I can't be sick. _How do even know Avari can be ill?!_"

"_ You just won't feel sick what is all the more dangerous." he told her, covering her again.

This time she sat, rolled the cape in a ball and threw it as far as she could.

"_ I don't need your stupid cape!" she exclaimed. He was getting on her nerves. "I don't feel the _fucking _cold."

"_ Oh, you just don't feel a thing do you?" he answered, just as exasperated.

"_ We aren't talking about my physical condition any more, are we?" she said, standing up.

He stood up too.

"_ No we are not!" he exclaimed.

"_ I already told you, you had my affec-"

"_ AFFECTION, YES!" he yelled. The word 'affection' drove him mad. "I know!" He laughed nervously. "Do you know who else has your affection? Mhélir, Ólion, Albien Elrohir, Ella-"

"_ If there is something you would like to tell me, _just say it already!_" she cut him.

Legolas thought about it. Where to start? By the fact that she wouldn't let him take care of her? By the fact that she was not even trying to take care of him? By the fact that she didn't seem to trust him? By the fact that she was making no effort to communicate with him? By the fact that he had her AFFECTION and wanted, oh, so much more than that? By the fact that he was starting to believe his feelings were one-sided and mocked? By the fact that he had no idea what exactly he felt, nor where did these feelings came from nor even how they came to be and it was profoundly frustrating him?

"_ No, I have nothing to tell you." he told her, still angry, but without screaming. "But I hope **you** do have something to tell me."

He looked at her expectantly. That was it. She would have to confess to either liking him or not and act on it. He was done listening to her saying she didn't have feelings for him and yet acted as thought she did. Once she would answer his question all his worries would fly away whatever the answer was.

Sui felt oppressed. Why was he trying so hard to make her uncomfortable? She managed to spit out that she cared for him, didn't he realise how big of a step it was for her?What the hell more did he expect from her? Did he even realise that Avari barely ever expressed their emotions? They understood emotions were private and didn't feel the need for them to be put out in words.

"_Yes, I do have something to tell you!" she yelled. Then paused. She took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. Seeing her angry expression disappear helped Legolas relax too. Sui looked at the grass beneath her bare feet and seemed hesitant. Legolas almost smiled: she was acting shy, like she had when she told him she had some 'affection' for him earlier, in her tent. She walked close to him and motioned for him to bend down. He did. When his face was close enough for her to kiss him she kicked his tibia as hard as she could before shouting "I fucking hate you sometimes!" and walked away.

Legolas screamed too, but in pain.

"_ I can assure you the feeling is mutual!" he yelled back holding his leg. He never thought she would react like that and realised this was the problem: she was unpredictable, and everything about it hurt. Sometimes, even physically.

He let go of his leg and went through the tunnel to go back to the castle. On its other side, he was surprised to find Mhélir standing in front of Sui.

The Avari ellon hadn't said a word yet, when he noticed the wood elf arriving behind his friend. His sight made him frown a little. He looked at Sui, then at Legolas, who was now standing a few feet behind her.

"__ Were you at the lake with him?"_ asked the green eyed ellon.

"__ FUCK!"_ she shouted, before kicking the tunnel's wall. Mhélir took a step back by precaution "_YES!"_ she screamed, still mad. _"Big mistake! It will never happen again!"_ She glared at the prince for a second. _"His highness is too self-centred and arrogant to understand shit!"_ she yelled. _"The worst__** friend**__ ever!"_ she added, being careful to emphasise the word 'friend'.

Legolas didn't understand it all as well as he wished he could. Still, he understood 'friend' and it was enough to make him angrier. He walked passed the elleth and Mhélir, determined to go far away from them.

While walking away, he couldn't help but listen to what they were saying. He could only grasp a few words: "someone's tent" "building" or was it "making"? The words were so similar to one another. He tried to make sense of what he had heard while walking away.

_'Maybe they plan on : __building a tent for someone with something? No. They wouldn't have used the possessive this way of it was the case. Making something with someone's tent?'_ he stopped abruptly as he had remembered something. The words 'making', 'building' AND 'doing' were very similar..._'They plan on, not making nor building anything, but on DOING something in either one of their tents!'_

The prince almost chocked on the thought of them 'together' again. And while he was busy debating with himself if he should stop them or not, they passed him, laughing. She didn't even look at him a second. It angered him how inconsiderate she was.

He decided not to do anything. Clearly, she didn't care about him. He didn't believe Avari were so emotionally stuck up that they could not identify feelings like his. So it was never about her having a different culture, it is simply that she used him to divert herself.

Although he tried to convince himself of all that, the idea that Mhélir would soon be pulling back her messy curly hair, kissing her red lips, caress her soft skin, made him sick. He could not get rid of the thought. It followed him everywhere like a ghost.

* * *

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* * *

"__ Albien!"_ called Mhélir as he entered the tent. _"Has something happened to your sister?"_ he ask the Captain, pensive.

Albien sighed loudly. He was in the middle of going through the wood elves reports about the wall's surveillance. It was written in sindarin, and taking a lot of patience and focus for him to understand every word.

"__ What are you babbling about?"_ he asked, annoyed. He was tired of hearing people complaining all day.

"__ She refused me."_ answered Mhélir.

Albien sighed again. The urge to sharpen his blade that he had felt all day long was becoming stronger.

"__ I don't want to hear about that. I can BARELY tolerate it." _he told his friend, holding his hand up for him to stop talking. _"And I believe it has already happened before."_

Mhélir came closer to the table were Albien sat.

"__ No, you don't understand."_ he started._ "Usually she throws me out of the tent. And not necessarily nicely."_ he added. _"This time, she apologized and asked me politely to leave. "_

Albien looked up, furrowing a brow.

"__ She apologised?"_ he asked, shocked.

"__ Yes."_ answered Mhélir.

"__ That is uncommon, I admit, but it is nothing to worry about."_

"__ Wait, there is more."_ insisted the green eyed ellon. "_There is something new about her. Something I can't put my finger on."_

"__ She has matured. Everyone noticed that." _Albien tried to change the subject. He had also noticed something was different about her, but until now, he had thought it was only his imagination.

"__ That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about...I don't know... something else." _Melhir searched for the words to describe what he was talking about. But he didn't even know what he was talking about_. "I don't know what it is, but it is there and I intend on finding out what that is." _he said with determination.

Albien hid his panic. Mhélir investigating the situation would do no good if what was happening was what he thought was happening.

"__ You are right, there is something else, and it has been bothering me too."_ he admitted_. "Her hair has grown long. I also am having trouble accustoming to it" _he lied, looking as impassive as always, so his friend would take him seriously_. "It makes her feature look softer. Older...Different. Less childish."_

"__ Oh." _Mhélir tried to picture the elleth. Yes, her hair had grown long, they now fell lower than her shoulders. He hadn't even realised it until now. _"Perhaps you are right. Maybe that is it." _he concluded. He thought it could still be something else, but it was very likely that it was simply the change in her appearance. It did make her look different. More attractive, he thought. Yet, he had felt that recently his interest in her body was at the lowest and other elleths caught his attention more often. Then again, the cause for this must be coming from him, not her.

"__ Now if you could excuse me, I have a lot of work to go back to." _said the Captain.

"_ _Tell me, how much time have you spent with ellyth recently._" teased the green eyed ellon. Albien sighed. He was clearly annoyed. "_And your blue eyed wood elf pupil does not count._" he added. He left, not waiting for an answer for it would probably be a solid punch. Albien never talked about his personal life and ensured that it stayed a complete mystery to every one.

Once his friend had left, Albien let go of the pen he was holding to rush out of his tent. There was something much more urgent than work he wished to take care of.

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* * *

The blond prince was walking back and forth, biting his lips and scratching his head nervously. It was the middle of the night, he was supposed to prepare his weekly report about his unit for Galdor but instead, he was walking in circles and so lost in his own head that he hadn't noticed he was being watched.

"_ What are you looking at?" asked Olion, who was passing by.

His voice startled Unel. She turned to glare at him for a second then turned back around to look down again.

"_ Legolas." she briefly answered.

"_ Of course, what else?!" Olion sighed. He came to stand on the border of the balcony, near her, to look at his friend. "What is happening to him? What is he doing?" he asked the elleth.

"_ I don't know. But he's been like this for the past twenty minutes I have been standing here and I think he had started this erratic walking long before I caught him in it." She sighed. "Do you know what's going on?" She looked at Olion straight in the eyes.

"_You already asked me about what was going on with him and we both agreed that I didn't know."

"_ But that was the, and that is now. So, do you know?"

Olion furrowed his brows.

"_ Why are you like this?" He raised his tone.

"_ Why am I curious? I am no more than anyone else in this realm." she answered, shaking her shoulders.

"_ No, I meant why are you so possessive and jealous." started Olion. Unel opened both eyes wide. "You are gripping on him so tight it's a wonder how he's still breathing." he added.

"_ What are you talking about?" She raised her tone.

"_ It's not going to happen." stated Olion.

Unel went mad.

* * *

"_ Oh! I see!" she exclaimed. "And because I can't have him," She pointed at Legolas. " And because you and I, had 'a moment' the other day, let me guess, I should give up on Legolas and jump in you arms?!" She faked laughing. "This is not going to happen. Besides, don't you have an Avari girlfriend to go reproach something with?" She smiled bitterly at him.

He returned her poisonous smile.

"_ Had you actually cared, you would know that we have been over for days, now." he started. "But I guess you were too busy starring at Legolas from afar, as always, to realise."

That said, Olion left.

Unel had had no intention to hurt him. She was quick to attack and she knew it was her biggest default. She hated when she let the worst of her come out this easily, but Legolas was her weakness. She had invested herself, her emotions, and her time to the point of exhaustion in him. Plus, if she truly had no chance with him like Olion said, Legolas wouldn't have hold onto her ring for so long. He wouldn't have kept it. No. There was still some hope for them.

* * *

I hope you didn't see the kick comming :p

Oh! And there someone you will soon see comming by the way!I decided this fic needed more sex in it! Just wait for it a little :p


	27. Chapter 25: What do I mean?

**Chapter 25: What do you mean what do I mean?**

The blond prince was walking back and forth, biting his lips and scratching his head nervously. It was the middle of the night, he was supposed to prepare his weekly report on his unit for Galdor but instead he was walking in circles and so lost in his own head that he hadn't noticed he was being watched. And not only by Unel. Although now that she was talking to Olion, she wasn't paying much attention to him any more.

"_ Thinking about finding her and apologize?" asked a twin, a mischievous smile n his face.

"_ I don't know what you're talking about." answered Legolas, dryly, clumsily pushing his hair back. He wasn't in the mood for games and either one of the twins were about the last person he wanted to find out about his secret.

"_ You looked to your left, you pulled your hair back in an unnatural manner although it was already in place, and you hesitated to answer." said Rivendell's prince. "Spare us both some time, don't lie to me." he added calmly.

"_ Am I that bad at lying?" asked Legolas, wishing that for once, he wouldn't have been caught.

"_ You're even worse at it than you think." answered the other ellon chuckling. "So..were you about to do what I think you were about to do?"

"_ Not at all, I was going to-" The other ellon looked at him dubiously and raised a brow. "Ok, yes. That's exactly what I was going to do to: find her and apologize because I went over the line." admitted the Silvan, convinced, he had done something wrong.

"_ You do realise that this is all going to end badly." warned the twin.

"_ Olion already filled me in with the moralising speech!" Legolas looked away for a second. "But if I don't try, I will regret it even more." He frowned. "How did you even find out-"

"_ Oh, please!" exclaimed the ellon rolling his eyes. "She makes you stutter and loose control faster than you father does. It couldn't be more obvious if you had had her name tattooed in a heart on your forehead." Legolas growled a little. "And I saw her grab your collar and kiss you the other night." Legolas looked panicked. "There was no one else around. And I told no one." he reassured his friend.

"_What about her? Do you know what she feels for me? Because I'm lost! Chasing after her is like looking for a golden ring among other identical golden rings in a thick fog...with no eyes...nor hands."

The twin laughed.

"_ I am not sure about how she feels." he started. "I don't think she even knows if she feels something for you or not." He paused. Legolas looked down, eyebrows frowned, biting his lower lip and reconsidering what should be his next move. "I don't think that before you had told her how you felt, she had even thought about how she felt. And dealing with your feelings is probably hard enough for her, so I wouldn't be surprised if she turned you down because dealing with hers is too much of an inconvenience to her"

What Elladan had just said helped him understand the situation better. By telling her how he felt he forced her to accept a situation she wasn't comfortable with. By asking her how she felt he put more pressure on her, but got her to admit, in her own way, to him, and to herself, that she valued him somehow. And by insisting to get more from her, he pushed her away because she doesn't know what she feels and definitely doesn't even want to find out. He sighed.

"_ How can someone not know what they feel?!" exhaled Legolas. Avari were proving to be even more frustrating elves than expected.

"_ Do **you** know what you feel?" answered the twin.

"_ I wouldn't be about to go through the Avari camp to talk to her knowing that after this afternoon she is pissed if I didn't know."

"_ Then tell me, what is it that you feel for Nellil?" asked the brown headed prince. Legolas stood in silence, his mouth opened. "What is it that you feel for Unel, then?" Legolas's mouth opened wider. "Yes, my brother and I know." he said as though it was a well known fact. "We found Unel's arrows not so far from yours, near the bridge the other day." he said. "You could have picked them up." he reproached. "I mean, if you want to keep the both of you a secret you might as well hide things properly...But don't worry, even if we obviously disapprove, we won't tell anyone." he assured Legolas, who still couldn't believe it. He was hiding his face in his hands. Shame and guilt took over him; "When it all comes to be known, because it eventually will, Nellil will be inconsolable and it will break your heart." started Elladan again. "Unel will want to destroy you even if doing so breaks her heart." He paused. "And Sui...Do you know what she will do?"

"_No, what will she do?" asked the prince, only half willing to hear it. What will she do if she finds out? What will she do when she realises that he never held up to his promise to end things with Unel or told the truth to Nellil?

"_ I don't know either." said Elladan shrugging. "I can't even imagine. Which is why I would be careful if were you." he warned. "I would make sure to know what I'm doing before doing it, if I were you." Elladan turned around and started walking away. "And wait for Sui to go to your father's elk, tomorrow morning, if you still wish to talk to her. There you'll be able to have some privacy." he finished.

"_ In the elk's stall? Why would she go there?"

"_ She likes the creature, I guess. She usually seeks its company early the morning, when no one is around."

"_ How come you know everything?" asked Legolas.

"_ I must be a god, or something close." joked the other ellon.

"_ I highly doubt it Elrohir!"

"_ I am Elladan." corrected the twin, smirking.

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* * *

Albien stormed inside of Sui's tent. She dropped the files she planned on reading.

"_ _I don't know, what is going on with the Silvan and I don't want to now but it has to stop. Immediately!"_ he shouted, angrily. Sui sighed. "_Are you trying to piss father AND the king off, or are you just trying to start a political issue when we might soon be at war with the Hwenti?"_

"__ You are late, it's already all over."_ answered Sui, calmly.

Albien thought this was all too easy.

"__ What do you mean it's over?"_ he asked, suspecting she was hiding something.

"__ What do you mean what do I mean: it's over?"_ she replied smirking.

"__ Don't play with me!"_he jerked._ "Now is not the time!_"

She rolled her eyes.

"__ I meant that whatever there was, is no more. That's all."_ she explained, still perfectly calm. She picked the files up from the floor.

Albien raised a brow. He had barged into her tent unannounced, she didn't make any comment about it, he was angry and she wasn't on the defensive, he involved himself in her personal life and she answered without picking a fight. She wasn't acting normally. Truly, something was off. He squinted both eyes.

"__ Should I worry?"_ he asked her, wondering if he had grasped the entirety of the situation.

"__ Worry about wh_at?" she replied, unsure of what he meant.

"__ Worry about the way you are acting_." he answered. Albien came closer to Sui and brushed the curls she had in front her eyes behind her ears. _"Did he hurt you?" _He asked on a serious tone.

"__ What?"_ blurted Sui. Unbelievable! Her brother, out of everyone who didn't know anything about what happened, thought she cared enough about the Silvan to be affected by him.

"__ Because if he did, I will decompose him if-"_

"__ What the hell?!"_ she screamed. There, he had said it: 'You are not strong enough to deal with the wood elf yourself'!' Her right brow and her whole body were shaking: her anger was resurfacing. Albien sighed in relief. She was back to normal: angry and taking things personally!

"__ I better go then." _he said, smiling.

"__ Yes, you better go!"_ warned the elleth. _"Wait!"_ she screamed. Albien turned around. _"How did you find out?"_

"__ Because you always make the least convenient choice when it comes to ellyn._" he told her. She glared at him. _"Also, it was starting to affect the way you act."_

"__ No, it wasn't!" _she argued, back to being angry.

"__ You are only fooling yourself if you think that." _said Albien on a serious tone. Sui was about to to say something, but her brother started again: _"Look at you, you haven't thrown a single object at me." _He had never thought he would one day complain about that.

When she had recovered from the shock of realising that he was right, Albien had already exited the tent. She thought about what he had said some more and found she was growing soft. Last someone had failed to obey her, she barely punished him because she pitied him. She didn't use to pity people. She snarled.

She threw the files she was holding back on floor and decided that finally, working and pretending to be calm would not help her cool down or take her mind off the prince acting like an insensitive dick. Especially since she was in her tent: every time she looked at her bed she remembered him on it, with his ridiculously perfect bare chest, the adorable sound he made when he moaned...

She stormed out of her tent and decided to go kick some ass. The trainees were about to have it coming.

* * *

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* * *

Sui was feeding Thranduil's elk. She liked him very much. It was a majestic and stupid creature, she thought. It was friendly as long as it was fed, and as long as you held food in your hand, it did whatever you wanted.

A door opened. Sui heard it, but didn't move. There was usually no one around here but sometimes, Uthespen would come in earlier to take care of the horses. She though that ellon had an unhealthy fascination for the beasts.

Then the door of that separated the king's special creature's stall from the horses opened. She quickly hid behind the animal. No one was allowed here without the king's consent.

Legolas saw no one when he came in. He taught about leaving, then he realised that if Elladan said she would be here, she was here.

"_ I like you." he started. Sui sighed in relief and came out of her hideout."I really like you." corrected the prince, looking at her. "Do you like me or not?"he asked her. She regretted having decided to show herself. He looked serious. She opened her mouth but found nothing to say, so she shut it again. "Do you or do you not?" he insisted. Sui lowered her gaze and opened mouth again. She didn't what to say. It fest as though her brain didn't have any file on what she was looking for. A minute went by and she still couldn't say a word. "Good." said Legolas, sounding satisfied. Sui raised her head to look at him, an expression of incomprehension on her face.

He had walked up to her and as soon as her head was up he kissed her forehead.

"_ Wait!" she shouted, taking a step back "What?" Sui furrowed both brows. She hadn't been able to answer his question and he was happy about that?! Hadn't he harassed her for an answer the day before!? She wasn't even sure why was putting up with his demanding answers again. She shouldn't even talk to him, she realised.

"_ Well, your hesitation is more than I expected." he said shrugging. "So even if you can't, or just won't say it, I know you like me." he added, certain of what he was saying. "Other wise you would have turned me down the instant I opened my mouth." he told her. She stared at him, confused, and angry at herself for always having to wait for people to explain her emotions and feelings to her, for her to identify them."And, if you are not comfortable with it so, you don't have to say it out loud. I won't ask you to any more." He took her hands. "But you are going to have to show it, even if just a little bit. Because I need to know I am not alone in this."

She took her hands away from his.

"_ Except that this," she drew circles in the air with her hands as she said that. "Is not happening."

"_ Why not?" asked Legolas, disappointed. His manoeuvre was perfect, why didn't it work?

"_ Albien found out. And he said we have to stop."

"_ How did he found out, when **we** barely even knew, or know" he wasn't sure. "Know what is going on between us?"

"_ I don't know!" she exclaimed, annoyed. "But he knows! And he disapproves." She paused. Legolas sighed in exasperation: of course Albien would disapprove! "And he's right. Think about it," she started again. "We can't stay near one another for long without finding something wrong with the other!"

"_ No, I already thought about it!" he protested. "I spent the whole night thinking about it!" he added. " And I've already made my mind. I want US to happen."

He put his hands on her waist and pulled her close. He tried to kiss her but she covered his face with her left hand.

"_ Hear me out." she said. Legolas sighed, and shook his head so that she would remove her hand from his face. She didn't let go so he released her. She immediately took a step back. Feeling that she was now at a safe distance from him, Sui started again: "You are a prince and, I, am not even close to being a 'high' elf." Legolas had already made his mind and wasn't listening. He took the white shirt he was wearing off, revealing the pale skin of his well built torso. Sui stopped talking to stare for second, but decided not to let herself be diverted by his teasing. She closed her eyes and kept going. "You are **betrothed** and, I, am supposed to have those..rules...about not 'messing' around while 'with' Mhélir. Also-" Legolas gave her a kiss. It shut her up for a second. But she pushed him away and started again: "I am vice captain now, so I should be-" He kissed her again. "Responsible for-" He kissed her again. She pulled out again, and looked at him, without talking. He was so close. His face was so close. His lips were so close. She bit her lips and gave in. She kissed him. Why the hell not? He would have pursued her until she gave up anyway, so the sooner, the less time would be wasted avoiding something that would eventually have happened.

He pulled her as close as he could and held her as tight as he could. She held his head with one hand hand while the other rested on his muscled abdomen. They kept contracting and relaxing: it turn her on. Their breath fastened and Sui wished all of their clothes would be off already but Legolas didn't seem as impatient. So she started lowering her hand, decided to get him going faster. The prince caught her hand before it had even reached his belly button and broke the kiss. Sui growled. She tried to kiss him again but he moved his head out of the way.

"_ Wait," he said, a serious look on his face. "You never finished you sentence. What were you saying again? Something about rules and responsibilities?" He grinned. The smile on his face went from one ear to another. Sui cursed under her breath. How dare he make fun of her?! She had only tried to do what was right for the both of them. It seemed she was the only one who realised how ridiculous and pointless what they were doing was.

"_ Shut up, Legolas!" she told him annoyed. "And put you mouth to a better purpose."

He complied and kissed her again, and let his hands wander under her shirt, before trying to take it off. But she prevented him from doing so. Then, she pulled away.

"_ Is something wrong?" he asked, wondering if he had done something he shouldn't have and hoping she wouldn't just leave him standing there like she seemed to have taken the habit of doing.

"_ The elk..."

"_ What about it?" Legolas grimaced. There was always something to ruin the mood when things heated up.

"_ The way it's starring at us... it's making me uncomfortable." she said, starring back at the beast.

"_ It's an elk. It's charismatic, and... it's just an animal." he tried to reassure her with.

She frowned.

"_ _No, really, look at it. _It scares me, right now." she insisted.

Legolas sighed to express his annoyance but complied. He turned around and looked at the elk. It had its head bent to the side and was starring blankly but intensely at them with it's huge round eyes. Legolas grimaced.

"_ Ok, it scares me too right now." he admitted. "And it makes me very uncomfortable." he added. "We should probably-"

"_ Get the hell out of here,_ aye_. It's out of food and pissed." she completed. _"I think it doesn't want us here any more." _

Legolas grabbed his tunic as fast as he could to rushed out the door, right after Sui, but she closed it on him. He would have knocked on it for her to let him out if the beast hadn't started to charge him around the wooden room.

They didn't heard him come in, but Uthespen was in the horses' stables. Legolas didn't have the time to see there was anyone in there, but Sui did, and closed the door on him. Locking him with the elk. She wanted to avoid being asked question. Legolas had better manage to get out of the stall by the door that opened on the forest.

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"_So... you have never seen humans before?" asked the princess.

"__No._" replied Albien. "Have you?"

"_ No." she answered to the Avari's surprise. "My father says that even if humans look more or less like us, they are no less filthy than dwarves." she added raising both brows. She was trying to picture what an elf with rounded ears and a long dirty beard would look like.

"_ Do you think dwarves filthy?" asked Albien, slightly shocked by the maiden's use of vocabulary. To Avari dwarves were just another specie. They even quite liked dwarves: long ago, after they were rejected by the other elves, dwarves helped them accommodate to living under mountains, in caves. Albien hadn't seen a dwarf for long years now, but he remembered them as quite friendly creatures, who had an unequalled loved for good ale.

"_ I don't know." she replied, shaking her shoulders. "I have never met one." she added. "But Legolas says they are rude and clumsy but far from being hateful creatures." She smiled. "He is quite fond of them actually, but he won't admit it." She laughed.

"_ That might explain his friendship with my sister." said Albien, finally understanding how an elf as delicate as Legolas got used so fast to Sui. 'Rude and clumsy' was the exact definition of his sister, he thought.

Nellil thought the Avari was joking and laughed. Nellil had grown fond Albien's sister. For no real reason at all. Sui and her had no activity in common and when in the same room, they just nodded to each other before the Avari left. When Nellil watched her from afar, Sui was either laughing or screaming at someone. She seemed to be one of those people who **lived** instead of being content with simply existing. She heard about her from both Albien and Legolas. They mainly complained about the younger elleth, but they both did with affection.

Albien forgave the princess for her innocence and did not tell her he never intended on being funny.

"_ One day," started again the elleth, "I will take a horse and travel by myself. I will meet dwarves, and humans, and-"

"_ I don't think neither the prince nor your father would allow that." cut the Avari blowing the princess's dream bubble. Avari weren't familiar with the concept of making project that seemed far from reach. They lived for the present, the moment, the instant.

"_ I don't care what they would like!" she shouted, standing up. Albien was so startled he almost fell off the rock he was sitting on. It was the first time she had ever gotten noisy and angry about something near him. "I might not be vice-captain like your sister but it doesn't mean I can't take care of myself!"

"_ I am very awar!" he told her so that she would calm down. She sat down again. "Besides, my sister can fight, but she can hardly take care of herself." he said. It was meant as a compliment for the princess. He thought Nellil could take care of herself. He was certain she could survive for quite some time on her own if she kept taking her training seriously. "Fighting isn't all a elf need to know."

The princess sighed. She wasn't sure what Albien meant by that, but she was certain it meant she wasn't ready to leave and leave alone.

"_ I am sorry for having shouted at you." She looked down and sighed again and looked expectantly at the Avari. She was waiting for him to say or do something comforting, like any normal elf would do. Instead he stared back at her for a few seconds then stood up and left saying he had a lot of work to do.

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Legolas closed the door right on time ! The elk had put up a good fight and came close to perforating him several times. He put his head against the closed door and took a deep breath, enjoying to still be alive. He then hit the door hard remembering that Sui closed the door on him.

"_ What happened to you ?" asked a voice coming from behind him. He hurried to turn. "What are you even doing here ? You're not on scouting duty today." added Olion, suspecting something was going on.

"_ I was in the elk stall. And..it got mad at me so I had to get out fast." he told his friend. "The back door was closer so I ended up here."

Olion crossed his arms on his chest.

"_ Why would you go there, you don't even like the creature?" asked Olion, squinting an eye.

Knowing he was a bad liar, Legolas knew lying would be pointless. So, he had to find a way to say things so that they would not be a complete lie. He shrugged.

"_ Sometimes, what you need is to be with the last person you would expect." the prince said.

"_ It's a **mean,** **empty headed** animal." pointed out Olion, only half swallowing what the prince had said.

"_ Tell that to my father." snapped Legolas, shaking his shoulders again. "He calls it his second son." he bitterly added.

"_ I can see the resemblance." joked the red head.

Legolas growled.

"_ Don't you have some scouting to do?" he told his friend.

Olion didn't answer and left, still laughing, to catch up with the dark elves he was supposed to scout with.

Once the lazy elf was out of sight, the Silvan ran up to the front door, hopping Sui would still be inside. He was determined to give her piece of his mind. He angrily opened the door. Only to find Sui taking care of a horse along with Uthespen. Sui discretely waved for the prince to leave. Uthespen had asked her enough questions about why she went to the elk, for Legolas to come around and make things more suspicious than they already were.

But he couldn't just barge in then leave with having done nothing there, it would raised just as much questions. He nodded to the ellon, then headed to his horse, pretending that he was there for the beast. He brushed it fed it, talked to it and left after Sui made fun of him for telling his horse he was 'a gorgeous stallion'.

* * *

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* * *

In the throne room, the Great King of the Woodland Realm had allowed himself to mix work and pleasure for once: he was sipping a glass of wine while dealing with the realm's problems.

"_ And last but not the least: we still have no news from Alkien and Geldrik." said Galdor. Thranduil sank in his blood red cape, eyebrows furrowed."Maybe we should start- "

"_NO." interrupted the king, sitting straight again. "Don't bury them so fast." He motioned for the servant holding the wine to purr him some more. "Send someone to track them and if they find nothing, we'll act in consequence."

"_ I already sent someone." said Galdor, taking the bottle of wine off the servant's hands, before he could give some more to the king. Thranduil rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I asked our best trackers to follow them until they meet the first Hwenti the day they left. But the Avari didn't leave any track to follow. My elves didn't make it any further than the wall."

Thranduil smiled.

"_ I didn't expect any less from the Captain." he answered. "Are his children asking questions ? Causing any trouble?"

Galdor shook his head.

"_ They are too busy to even think about him."

"_ Good." The king stood and went to get the wine from Galdor himself. "Make sure they have all they need for their people." He tasted it and seemed surprised by its flavour although, it was the exact same wine he had been drinking sooner. "I wouldn't have them go back to '_Fellsvogee_' saying King Thranduil wasn't the best host they have ever had." he added, returning to his throne.

"_ So you will have them leave the realm at some point ?" asked the Captain.

"_ What did you expect?" replied the King, sitting. "The one who have married or bought houses can stay. The wounded and the ill can stay. But we won't be able to feed everyone eternally."

"_ We could simply do as they asked; give them a piece of land and let them be." suggested Galdor.

"_ Then what ?!" shouted the King. "Should I marry my son to one them too?!" He sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, Galdor. I am generous but not so much as to give them what is mine by right."

Galdor confiscated the King's glass and left the room. Thranduil was his closest friend and was one of the oldest elves in the realm, yet, he was the biggest baby the captain ever had to deal with. The king never outgrew his difficulties to share 'what was his'. It was no wonder why Legolas and him almost never got along: you can't put two babies in room with one candy and expect them to break it in two so that no one feels left out. No. they had to fight for it over and over again: This all had no end he thought.


	28. Chapter 26: Buttons covered floors

**Chapter 26: The innocent maiden and the savage**

The young Avari vice-Captain had been working all day in Alkien's Office. Until today, all the paper work she had been given consisted more or less in double checking Albien's work or order food and steel. But this time, she had to read the scouts reports and write one summarising everything that had been found. The scouts had encountered 'orcs' but never managed to actually capture one. They saw a few, but those they saw always attacked with swords, hatchets, and other heavy weapons, they never used bows although, the only scouts who had been injured were with arrows.

Sui scratched the back of her head and sighed for the seventeenth time, counted Legolas who had been sitting at the window, for about 20 minutes, waiting for her to finish her work.

But she had no idea how to write this report. Was giving the scouts' names relevant? Was the time of the day relevant? Were the weapons used relevant? She had no idea what information were expected to be found in it.

"_ Let me help you." offered the prince, finally understanding that she would not accomplish much on the matter without help. He came closer and started looking at all the papers no the table.

"_ You are still here?!" she exclaimed, surprised. She had asked him to leave a while ago, then assuming he would leave, she had ignored him. Now, she remembered that the elf was rather insistent and realised that so far, every time she had asked him to give up doing something he had done the exact opposite. She frowned. He was stubborn. But she really needed some help. Her frown turned into a grimace. "Do you even know how to write those things?"

"_ I have my own unit, remember?" he said, still reading. "I have to write one of those weekly." Sui sighed again and laid back in the chair while Legolas started organizing all the documents. He then explained to her step by step what had to be done and how it should be done. The elleth listened carefully but all the words she heard didn't seem to have a meaning at the moment.

"_HA!" she screamed, hitting the table with both her fists. Taken aback, Legolas jumped a few steps away. "I can't concentrate." she complained.

Legolas smiled a little. He pitied her at the moment. Ever since her first day of being vice-captain, she had been busier than ever caring for all sorts of matters for others, lacked sleep, and barely had the time to hang out with her friends in the kitchen any more. It had been almost two weeks since the elk incident and since then, in order for him to see her, he always had to wait for when she would be alone in the office and during most of the time they spent together, she was working and only acknowledged his presence once she was done.

"_ I am sure you can do it, it's not that hard." he told her nicely, gently patting her back. "You just have to concentrate a tiny bit more and-"

"_ You smell good." she said, interrupting him. Before the prince had had the time to say anything she had stood up, pushed him in the chair and had sat on his laps, facing him. He wasn't sure how to react and was completely caught out of guard. He was flustered, it made her smile inside. "You look like you are afraid." she told him calmly, looking at him in eyes, grinning hungrily. She had tried to let her hands wander all over him before, but he had stopped her, insisting for her to wait for their relationship to grow into something that wouldn't be purely driven by lust. Thinking it was ridiculous, she had wanted to end things right there and then. Despite her weird _affection_ for him, she still saw him as no more than a royal food provider, a play thing, a distraction, and sometimes an appreciated comfort. Of course she made sure he wouldn't know that. But before she could tell him she wanted nothing more to do with him that day, he had taken off the cotton shirt he was wearing to wipe the sweat rolling down his neck because of the training. After that, she had kept her mouth shut tightly, determined to do whatever was required in order to have her hands explore every inch of the milky skin covering his body. He would better be worth the wait.

"_ Well... Albien could come in any time." said Legolas, looking everywhere at the same time.

"_ The doors are locked." she answered as she started unbuttoning his grey tunic. She could feel his discomfort but decided that she didn't care. If he refused her this time, she would run to Mhélir and ask him to take her until she could no longer feel her legs. He would probably concede gladly.

Sui stared unbuttoning his tunic.

"_ Shouldn't you be working to finish-"

"_ Are you afraid of me?" she cut him. His rambling and trying to find a way out of her grasp was exasperating her so she let go of the ellon's clothes. Fine. She would go to Mhélir later. The silvan didn't look like he could be dirty enough in bed anyway.

"_ Well...You are looking at me like I have seen you look at your food and I hear you enjoy eating elf flesh...so yes, my heart rate is faster than normal at the moment." he told her.

The way he was fleeing her gaze made her want him more. Damn him. Mhélir wouldn't do. Tonight, she wanted to corrupt the innocent Legolas, no one else. She kissed the ellon's naked neck once. Then twice. Then she kissed his collar bone and opened his tunic more so she would have access to his chest.

"_ Your skin is very soft, for an ellon." she told him as she licked her lips while caressing his torso with a hand. She wasn't sure why the softness of his skin surprised her so much knowing how much time he spent tacking care of himself. Now that she thought about it, if they were both abducted by orcs, chances were they would try touching him instead of her: he was prettier by far.

"_ Was that meant as a compliment?" he asked. "Because if it was, it certainly didn't sound like one." he complained, forgetting his discomfort for a moment.

She laughed a little then went back to unbuttoning his tunic. That stupid item of clothing's buttons were numerous and small and she was impatient. She felt like the unbuttoning was never going to end and started undoing each button more clumsily and violently than the previous one. "I feel like a maiden about to be ravaged by a savage." he mewled, still slightly nervous.

"_ Ravaged?" she repeated. She stopped her activity and paused to think for a second. "I can live up to that!" she happily exclaimed before tearing the fabric of his tunic apart, making most of its buttons pop out and fly away. Ravaged he would be. And roughly at that. She planned on making him forget that any emotion else than lust existed. Perhaps after that he would speak less of the beauty of feelings and more of the intensity of carnality.

Legolas gasped.

"_ It was a very expensive tunic you know." he told her, mourning his beloved tunic. He stared at how deformed and ripped it was, and pursed his lips with discontentment when he realised it couldn't be sewed back together.

"_ I am sure 'Daddy' will buy you a new one if you ask him nicely." she teased. She laughed alone being the only one finding it funny.

She attempted to kiss his lips but he stopped her by holding her chin. He shifted position and came closer to her, looking at her in the eyes. Now, she was uncomfortable. His eyes were full of expectations and fondness. She bit her lips. The 'feely' way of acting of the Silvan made her want to be somewhere else. Her heart beat a little faster and a weird sensation crept down her spine.

Legolas had decided to give in. Him too craved for flesh and caresses. And despite how tensed the idea of being left to elleth's mercy made him, he was quite aroused himself. However, if something was to happen, he didn't want it to be pure lust. Not like it had happened the maturing night. Not this time. He had tried several times to get more emotions out of the Avari and so far he had only hurt the cold hard wall of indifference. But he wasn't ready to give up. After all, she had forgiven him every time he had put her in these delicate situations instead of putting an end to their 'thing', as she liked to call it. To him, it was proof enough that there must be something, covered up deep down, somewhere in her and he intended of digging it out.

No, when he looked into her eyes, this time, it wasn't with lust but with kindness, tenderness and something like..like what? Sui wasn't sure. All she could process at that moment was that whatever she found in his eyes terrified her. She would have pushed him away, closed her eyes, turned her head away, done something if only her body responded to her brain. But it refused to move. She was stuck. And when he delicately deposed his lips on hers, she felt even worse. She felt like a wild fire had started in her stomach and immediately broke the kiss, bringing a hand under her shirt, on her stomach as if to make it stop. It was painful. What was ridiculous since she couldn't feel pain.

When she jerked away, Legolas wondered if he had done something wrong. He let go of her chin and put some distance between them by laying back on the chair again.

He examined her.

She had a hand on her stomach and her brows were furrowed. However there was no anger showing on her face. Only confusion and fear. Her eyes trembled and stared in emptiness. And he recognised her expression. It was the one he wore before he had kissed her the first time, and every other time after that. It showed vulnerability. Something he never thought he would see on her face. She was always so strong.

Yet, it was there. And she wore it well. So well in fact that the ellon felt another kind of fire rise inside of him. For once, he was in a dominant position compared to her. Seeing how lost she was, she wouldn't fight it, if he dared try anything. Nothing stopped him from ripping her clothes apart, cupping her breasts, kiss her lips, touch her, taste her, pleasure her and claim her as his without caring if the whole realm heard everything.

Nothing stopped him from doing so but himself. If he tried anything while she was 'weak' she would probably take it as a defeat, and if Avari had taught him something, it is that a victory won in an unequal fight was shameful for both elves.

So instead of taking her like he wanted to, he put hand on on top of the one she hat on her stomach.

She glared at him wanting him to remove his hand.

"_ It is terrifying, isn't it?" he said softly. She didn't move. He took her hand and put it on his stomach. "I feel it too you know." He smiled.

His words scared her even more. What she felt, he felt too. Nothing about this sounded good, safe or reassuring to her. What she felt was comfort, dependence, need, addiction and worst of all, _powerlessness_ over those emotions. What was that all about? A _distraction_ was not supposed to make her feel that way!

She also realised that if he felt this way too, she held him in her hand and could bend him like she wanted. What meant that **he** could do the same to her now. No, nothing good could come out of this situation.

"_ How do I st-"

"_ Stop it?" he completed. He knew she would want no part of this. "You don't, because you can't." Sui paled. "But it will calm down." She regained her colours and seemed relived to know that the sensation wouldn't last forever. It bothered him a little that even now that her feelings were obvious to her, she was resigned not to accept them.

She looked slightly less confused now that she had been reassured. Could he have her now that she seemed more aware? Too bad for her if she wasn't her usual strong self. He decided it was time to take revenge for the night of the coming of age. Besides, a little weakness from her part only made them equal since he wasn't immunised against her the way she was against him, didn't it?

"However," he started again, "Every time I will come close to you," he shifted position to reduce the distance between them until their foreheads touched. Sui felt a chill run down her spine and the fire in her stomach grow stronger. "Every time I will touch you," He ran his hands up the length of her thighs, grabbed her firmly by the waist and pulled her body even closer to his. She shivered under his touch. "Every time I will kiss you," He kissed her collar bone, then her neck, "Its warmth will spreads wider." He put a hand on her stomach. Sui felt like her body was taken by a fever and started loosing focus while the prince's grin grew wider, and his hands bolder as he delicately took her shirt off so that she would be as exposed as he was. "And its intensity," He bit the pointy end of her ear. "Will grow bigger." he whispered as he lowered his rough archer fingers, down her trousers, between the warmth of her lower lips and applied a first generous pressure on her clit. "Until you can no longer contain it." He licked his lips as her grip on him tightened under his touch. "So don't fight, it." he murmured hastily. She moaned and put her hands around his neck before letting him take her mouth for hostage. He ghosted over her neck with his lips. As soon as he found its most sensitive spot, he mercilessly sucked on it, as the same time as he freed his other hand to pinch a nipple until it hardened and became painful, then moved to the other, and sucked on it until he felt her hands tighten their grip on his hair.

Feeling his own excitement growing and his pants restraining, he liberated a hand to expose his erection. As soon as it was done, the need to thrust his hard member frantically inside of her took over him. But suddenly Sui pulled his hair back and kissed him greedily, massaging his tongue with hers.

When he broke the kiss, the ellon saw in her eyes that she intended on regaining control over the situation. He found it was all the more arousing.

The elleth who had been sitting facing him until now, decided to turn around. Her back was against his torso, one of her hands was lost in his hair as he kissed her neck roughly and with the other she started pleasuring herself.

The ellon tried to touch himself but before he could reach his hard cock, Sui grabbed his hand put it on her breast.

"_ Not yet." she purred. He groaned. He was close. Very close. So close to come and she wouldn't let him. Why did she want to be a warrior when clearly she was born to be a torture master?

He decided that if she wanted to tease him painfully then he would do the same to her. If she wouldn't let him touch himself, he was going to touch her.

The prince sucked on two of his fingers, bit her neck in a sensitive spot to distract her, and while her body trembled, he inserted them inside her. She arched her back at the sudden intrusion. Legolas slowly slid his fingers out of her warmth, then back in again, deeper. She bit her lips harder than she should have in order not to moan too loudly, then move her hips to grant him more access.

"_ Not yet." he told her grinning, as he removed his fingers from within her, with no intention on giving her more if she didn't cooperate.

She shot him an angry glare. She was twice more impatient than he was and didn't react well to teasing. The thought of throwing him out and finishing herself crossed her mind. But the idea died quickly. She didn't want to make herself come. She wanted him to make her come. She wondered how she came to crave for this particular ellon's touch.

She got off him, spread his legs, knelt in between them, and engulfed almost all of his length at once. "Mmh!" he groaned heavily as he threw his head back and shut his eyes tightly. It was the first time an elleth had ever put her mouth around him this way. And it felt amazing, her mouth was warm and wet. But she withdrew. He opened his mouth to protest but closed it as soon as he had opened it for she had started stroking his thick member with one her little hands.

She worked it fast, then slow, making sure to stimulate every inch of his cock. She circled the tip with her tongue then sucked on it, still pumping the length of his shaft. Legolas's toed curled on themselves. He put hand at the back of her head, gripping her hair without pulling it, at the same time as he moaned. At the moment, he cared about nothing else but the pleasure she was inflicting him with.

"_ Ah-h! I am going to-" he warned, but was unable to finish his sentence. Sui removed her lips from around him and squeezed his cock just bellow the head to prevent him from coming just yet. She looked at him defiantly with arrogant grin in place before taking the tip in her mouth again, without releasing it nor ceasing to looking at him in the eyes.

Legolas hands clamped on the chair's sides. By doing this she was making him last longer although he was already on the on edge. The muscles in the whole of his body became incredibly tense and his skin more sensitive. Even the hand she used to hold one of his legs apart from the other burned him gently.

As soon as she relaxed her thin fingers from around his erection, he came in her mouth. She tasted him and slowly stood up, a proud look on her face. The prince was still panting, his hair was undone, his tunic ruined, his body covered with a thin layer of sweat: he was mess. A delicious looking and tasting mess, she thought, admiring the view.

"_ Sufficiently ravaged?" she asked, smirking. "Because, I can mess you up more if not." she purred.

"_ I would love that," he said, catching his breath. "But I am afraid you have worn me out completely and I can't take any more." He chuckled. How ironic. The plan was to make her beg him to stop but she had managed to reverse the situation.

The way she greedily stared at him made him a little shy, so he covered himself the best he could. Then, took her hand and sat her on his laps to lazily kiss her forehead. "I am sorry I was selfish today." he said before kissing her cheek. "I promise, next time, I will make you cry my name out so many times you will forget it doesn't mean orgasm." he assured her.

She raised a brow and smirked.

"_ Is that a threat?"

"_ It most certainly is." he answered, returning her grin.

"_ Should I fear you then?" she asked, before kissing him shortly.

"_ You should tremble of desire when you see me."

She laughed out loud.

"_ _I don't believe working is hilarious._" said a loud voice coming from outside. The door knob trembled. _"Why is the door locked?!_" growled Albien.

"_ So that I can work in peace!" yelled the elleth annoyed. She didn't have much time to spend with Legolas, and would have liked that the little she had could be done without interruption. Yet she was grateful her brother hadn't shown up a second earlier. Things would have turned very badly otherwise.

"__ Please, open the door."_ repeated the Avari.

"_ You should go." she murmured to Legolas, on a serious tone, standing up.

He nodded and stood up and kissed her gently. She didn't kiss him back. She was back to being distant and bossy.

"_ You're blushing." he lied. "Do I make your stomach feel warm again?" he teased.

"_ Avari can't blush, idiot." she growled. "Our skin is too dark."

"_ You're blushing in the inside." he completed then winked at her.

She rolled her eyes.

"__ I believe the door isn't that far from the desk." _insisted Albien, who was growing impatient.

Legolas kissed Sui one last time and hurried to leave by the window while she got dressed.

When he was let in, Albien asked for what took her so long to open the door. She told him that she wanted to finish organising the documents before getting distracted by anything else. Albien asked no further questions. However, he noticed there were small buttons spread on the floor, but didn't say nor ask a thing. Sui was free to divert herself the way she wanted. He only hoped it wasn't with the prince. Nor any other prince around. Since they hadn't shown their faces around the camp for a while, he was quite convinced, none of them were involved.

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Unel was alone, at the bridge. Waiting. Waiting for someone who seemed to have forgotten she was there. The past days, Legolas had showed up late. Today, he didn't seem to be late. He seemed to simply have no intention of showing up.

Just when she was about to fire another arrow in order to quiet her anger, she heard steps coming in her direction. She turned around and aimed at the shadow walking towards her.

"_ Who is there?"

"_ Someone you shouldn't point an arrow at." said a voice.

Unel rolled her eyes and lowered her weapon. It was Elrohir. Showing up when unexpected and uninvited, as always. "I am guessing you know I am not here to practice my skills." she told him when he was close enough.

" _ Of course, I know everything." He shrugged.

"_ And I am guessing I shouldn't waste my time waiting for him here any longer either."

"_ I think," he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in a friendly embrace. "It's about time you realise he is making you wait, with no intention of ever coming." She fought him a little but eventually stopped. And holding her tears inside she hugged him back.

"_ I-I hate him!" she said. "I hate him so much!" She closed a hand in a fist and hit the twin, not too hard, on the torso. " I HATE HIM!"

"_ No you don't." he answered, calmly, petting the back of her head. " You like him, a lot. Like we all do." He paused. "And, yes, he was cruel to you. But trust me, he had no intention to be."

"_ Then why?!He could have simply told me he didn't share my feelings, that he couldn't- I would have left him alone."

"_ Now, let's not pretend here, that you didn't use your charm to remind him of how much he has loved you once so that he would believe he loved you again." He didn't make it sound like an accusation. She pulled back and glared daggers at the prince. She was the one who had been hurt, why was he blaming her now? "Am I wrong?" he asked her, not loosing his cool.

She looked away, thought about it a little and shook her head. She did corner him and used her knowledge of his personality to please him so that he would take interest in her once more...Granted, for that part she couldn't blame him.

"_ Still, he could have told me he didn't love me instead of-" she paused, unsure of what to say. " of forgetting I was here. Forgetting I was waiting!" she exclaimed, furious.

"_ You have every right to be angry at him." he told her. "But you should remember it is Legolas we are talking about. He certainly had no idea he was giving you the wrong idea, because he didn't know it was the wrong the idea."

"_ I don't understand." she raised a brow. That last sentence didn't made sense to her. She always knew what she was doing, how could people do things, without knowing what they mean nor anticipating the consequences?

"_ He thought he loved you again, otherwise he wouldn't have taken the risk to hurt Nellil." started to explain the twin. "And still hasn't realised he doesn't love you, otherwise he would have told you."

"_ Then why isn't he here tonight?" she asked, defy Elrohir to have an answer. If Legolas is not hiding from her, then where is he?

"_ He simply forgot you were here, waiting, all together if you want my opinion." said Elrohir, trying to be as nice as possible.

"_ You are terrible at comforting people." she said after a short silence of acceptance of the situation.

The twin was relieved she accepted his answer without asking any more questions. He could hardly explain to her that the ellon she was desperately trying to impress was locked in an office with Sui. And they were too busy doing, whatever it was they were doing to one an other, to hear him and Elladan knock on the door. If only they knew how lucky they were that instead of sending Galdor to talk to the elleth and her brother, the King had sent the twins.

"_ Well you aren't crying any more, are you?" he told her. She smiled a little. "Besides, you are a strong elleth, and I am sure I am not the one you want to be 'comforted' by."

Olion had filled the twins in about their 'moment' it seemed.

"_ Don't you have an Avari elleth to go annoy in my stead?"

"_ Not any more." He sighed. "She has gotten bored of me." He was more disappointed than sad. Mhéléane had a lot in common with Sui. But contrary to the older elleth, the green eyed Avari was a sensitive being trying to be tougher than she was, and that's what Elrohir liked about her: she was she was strong, unpredictable and yet, she craved for nothing else but someone to protect her and hold her. Still, she said he didn't make her hands warm...whatever that meant.

"_ Isn't she the same one who has gotten bored of Olion?" asked Unel. He nodded. "She sounds awfully complicated." Elrohir raised both brow at her. " Yes, I am well aware I am not one to talk." She growled.

"_ What are you going to do now?" he asked her. Curious of what she would do with her life now that it wouldn't be centred around the blond prince.

"_ First, I will pay Legolas back, then I will improvise." she said sounding almost innocent.

"_ I don't think the payback is a good ide-"

"_ I do not care what you think." she cut him. She had made her mind: Legolas had to pay. She didn't know how nor what nor when but it was only fair that he suffered too. "I will make him feel as bad as he made me feel."

"_ That would make you as cruel as he was, and he wasn't because he wanted too..."

"_ Like I just said, I don't care."

That said, she walked off. The twin thought he should inform Legolas of the situation. Unel might not be full of surprises but when she pulled a trick out of her pocket, the elf who had it coming better be prepared.


	29. Chapter 27: Royal Brats

**Chapter 27 : Royal Brats **

Sui was told by an elfling that Elrohor and Elladan had asked him summon her to her tent. She swore to herself that if they didn't have something special in store for her, she would snap their pretty princes' necks for being arrogant and wasting a the trainee's time for their errands. They did have legs, didn't they? They could use it!

Still, for once, they had picked the right time to request her presence. She needed to escape Olion and all his questions about Legolas and her. He spoke as though he knew something was going on, and it was making her uncomfortable. Not that he knew something was going on, but that he kept ruminating about feelings and she mainly didn't think she felt, let alone _understood._ But then again, apart from anger and disappointment, she had never really been able to make the difference between the rest. All she could tell about it, was that when she usually felt her stomach warm up, it was negative, and when she felt like her face warm up, it was mainly positive. However Legolas simple presence seemed to challenge all that recently. When he was around, her stomach was warm, yet, she wasn't angry. Or, yes, she was, he always ended by making her furious, but first she felt something else. Something disturbing, foreign and _unwanted_. She chose to ignore it when she could.

As soon as the elfling had ran away, she excused herself and left Olion to his food.

When she arrived in front of her tent, she could hear the brothers talk. "Do you have some on your body?". She froze wandering what was happening."I might. Could you help with that spot there?". She raised a brow. "Where? Over here?" "YES!" Now she had to know what the hell they were doing. She opened the entrance and didn't hesitate one second to get in.

"_ What are you..." She lost her words. "in..my...tent..." Was this truly happening? She stood in silence for a while, staring at them both. "Why are you _naked_? In my tent? One of you turning his back to the other?"

"_ There is a perfectly logical answer to that." answered Elladan, not even slightly bothered by the appearance of the situation.

"_ But we'll come to that once you stop staring at our male parts." said Elrohir with the same carelessness in his attitude. He removed his hand from Elldan's back, once he was done scratching a spot Elladan didn't seem to be able to reach himself.

"_ Then get dressed." she told them, still staring, and not at their faces. She noticed they truly were identical. What one had, the other had in the exact same proportions. It was troubling.

"_ That is impossible, I fear." said Elldan. That brought back the elleth's attention to the ellyn's faces.

"_ Why is that?" She raised a brow.

"_ Our clothes burned." said Elrohir.

"_Burned?" she asked. How could someone's clothes just burn? There was a small fire inside her tent, because she was told it was cold and she should keep herself warm, like the other Avari did, but...why would the twins use it to burn their clothes?

"_ Yes." they confirmed in unison. "They burned."

"_ Your story is **disturbing** and doesn't make much sense so far." She crossed her arms.

"_ The way you are staring is disturbing." said Elrohir. "You aren't even trying to look away."

"_ Doesn't our nakedness make you uncomfortable?" asked Elladan crossing his arms, at the same time as his brother. As always, they asked questions instead of answering others'.

"_No." She shrugged.

"_ Sui," Albien barged in the tent. "_I need the-_" He turned into a stone as soon as he saw the twins. They weren't any more uncomfortable than they were before. "_Explanation_?" was the best Albien managed to pronounce as he turned to his sister.

"_ _No I can't. I found them here naked and am still trying to figure out what happened_."

Albien looked at them again, as if to make sure this was all really happening. They stared back at him in silence.

"__ I think I will leave, now._" he said once he realised he wasn't hallucinating.

"_ _Don't you want to hear what happened to their clothes?_" asked Sui. She didn't understand her brother's lack of curiosity.

"_ _No, I don't._" he said as he started leaving. "_And I would appreciate it greatly if we never spoke of this ever again._" He left as if nothing had happened. Sui chuckled. Albien never reacted well to nudity.

"_ I would have thought he would have beaten us to a pulp." said Elhorir...disappointed? It seemed the twin had expected more of a reaction from the over protective Albien.

"_ I thought all Avari were comfortable with nakedness...Or is it just you?" asked Elladan.

"_ Albien is uncomfortable with **people** in general, so of course, when you take people's clothes away, it worsens things." she explained.

"_ It must be inconvenient to mate..." said both twins.

"_ Now, this," she paused. "Talking about my brother mating, is what makes **me** uncomfortable, so I am going to leave. Find yourselves some clothes and meet me in the captain's tent when you are proper." she told them before leaving

The twins borrowed clothes from random Avari who were around. As a result, they were wearing loose dark pants and no shirts. No one had asked them why they were naked. No one even seemed to have cared or minded.

Once clothed, they met Sui and Albien in the biggest of the tents, at the end of the camp. The twins were seated in front of the two other siblings.

"_ It's about the report Alkien sent from his scouting." said one of twins, not bothering to use a less direct approach.

"_ The King wants to talk to you both about it as soon as you can make time for him." completed the other twin.

"_ Couldn't you wear clothes to tell me that?" puffed Sui.

"_ We were wearing clothes," started Elrohir

"_ Then because of-"

"_**STOP** right there." ordered Albien, standing, obviously uncomfortable and annoyed. "I am trying **really** hard to forget that I ever saw the both of you naked. So from now on, unless you wish for a direct trip to Mandos' halls, we are ALL going to pretend it never happened, and will never speak of it again, let alone, think about it, ever again." he warned.

"_ But it did happen..." insisted Sui. "How can you igno-"

"_ NO!" he yelled. "It did not happen." he said loudly. "As a matter of fact, I don't even know what you are talking about." he told his sister. He then turned toward the twins. "Now if you would excuse us, we have some business to attend to with the king."

With that, he grabbed Sui by the arm and dragged her outside.

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As soon as the King's office's door closed behind Sui and Albien, Galdor who had been sitting at the back of the room stood up and went to stand were the sibling had stood a few minutes ago.

"_ You lied to them." he said. His arms were crossed, and the expression on his face was one of disapproval.

"_ I had no choice." muttered Thranduil, tired of having every one of his movements judged by the Captain.

"_ Lied to who about what?" said Legolas when he barged in. He nodded at Galdor to acknowledge his presence but didn't glance once at his father. He hurried to one of the many, **many**, drawers of the room and started going through it as if it was his right to do so.

"_ Didn't I introduce you to the common decency of knocking on doors before entering rooms?" complained Thranduil as he shifted in his sit.

"_ No, father, you did not." He threw a defiant look at his king before opening another drawer. "You only told me to make sure that when making an entrance, I should draw every one's attention."

Galdor bit his lips not to laugh, but could not stop himself from smiling widely.

"_ Can you believe how he talks to me?" complained the King to his friend, looking for some sympathy.

"_ Oh, I can." answered the Captain as he observed Legolas as he looked through some files. " He talks to you the same way you used to talk to your father." he added, grinning.

Thranduil glared at him but said nothing.

"_Now, son, why don't you stop your snooping in my files and tell me what you want." requested the King, thinking Legolas had made a mess of his documents and that he would have to clean it later.

Legolas turned around, bringing his attention to his father.

"_ To see what my beloved father was doing." he offered, sounding too innocent to be telling the truth.

"_ Well, I am busy working as you can see." coldly answered the King who didn't like being taken for a fool.

"_ Is that wine you are drinking?" asked the prince, looking a the half full glass his father held in a hand.

"_ No." lied Thranduil. "It is grape juice."

Legolas raised a brow, obviously not believing it was grape juice.

"_ Isn't it too early for this? It isn't dark outside yet."

"_ It's never too early for a **good** wine." snapped back the older elf.

"_ I thought it was grape juice?" pointed out Legolas smirking.

Thranduil tired of playing games with his son.

"_ What did you come here for? What in my files, were you looking for?" It sounded more like an order than a question.

Legolas grimaced. His father patience was almost shorter than Sui's. He looked at Galdor who shook his head at him, as if to tell him to surrender.

"_The report." offered the prince.

"_ Which report?"

"_ The one Alkien sent, of course." said the prince, coming closer to look at what was on his father's desk. There were plenty of sheets. It was impossible to distinguish them. He tried to reach for one but his father gave a him a small tap on the hand.

"_Who told you about it?" Legolas opened his mouth but Thranduil started again. "No don't tell me. Let me guess." He faked thinking about it. "Alkien's daughter." he said as if he had just come with the idea it could be her. He furrowed both brows and laid back on his chair. "I should forbid you to talk to that child." he said on a serious tone. Both Galdor and Legolas raised a brow. "I wouldn't want you to catch her disastrous sense of fashion." he added eyeing his son's clothes. His boots were dirty, and his pants old.

"_ Sense of fashion isn't contagious." intruded Galdor.

"_ I know that." exclaimed the King frustrated. "If it were he wouldn't wear dirty ranger rags." He pointed at his son, who rolled his eyes.

"_ Sui told didn't tell me about it, the twins did." The prince was trying to bring back the subject he was interested in. "So where is it?" he asked, getting impatient. "I would like to read it and make a copy."

"_ How unexpected of them." murmured Thranduil. He had always liked the twins. They were clean, polite, gracious in their movements and words: almost everything he was.

"_ Are you kidding me?!" shouted Legolas. Galdor sighed. The two of them trailed on futilities too easily. "You trust those devils?"

"_ Don't be jealous, son." started the King. "They might have better healing skills than you will ever have, but they will never be as majestic as you are." he said looking amused as a Legolas pouted. "Have I ever told you how much you look like me?" he complemented himself. "Physically, of course." he cleared. He thought him ad Legolas very different when it came to personality. His son had always been softer and more tolerant. His son had befriended a _dwarf_!

"_ May I have the report so I can leave?" asked Legolas, offended.

"_ You may not have it.." answered the elegant elf as he crossed his legs.

"_ Why not? Sui and Albien saw it."

"_ No they didn't. I told them what they had to know about it and, **I**, will keep the only copy there is."

"_ Is this your final decision?" insisted the younger Silvan.

"_ All of my decisions are final, son."

Legolas took a deep breath to try to prevent his anger from bursting. Then he looked at his father's impassible and confident face and decided he shouldn't keep his rage inside. He grabbed the bottle of wine that stood on the table and spilled all of its content on the floor, under his father's horrified eyes. Once it was empty, he let the bottle fell and break against the hardness of the floor and hurried to the door.

By the time Thranduil stood, his soon had already left.

"_ YOU ROYAL BRAT!" he screamed at his soon who was running away. "COME BACK HERE!COME BACK HERE!YOU MIGHT HAVE MY BEAUTY BUT YOUR POOR BEHAVIOUR IS TO BLAME ON FRIENDS!" He stopped screaming when Legolas's back had disappeared from his sight. He growled a few things Galdor couldn't catch and sat back in his chair. "Can you believe how much of an ingrate he is?" he asked his friend before finishing his wine.

"_ If he weren't ingrate and short tempered I would have had troubles believing he is your son." offered the Captain. Thranduil glared at him. "Don't glare at me." said the ellon, "**You** made **him** this way, I didn't." He shrugged. "And, you might want to talk to him more about the realm and less about his looks if you want him to ever take over after you." he added. It was not the first time he had told that to his friend, but Thranduil had a knack of ignoring advices. The same habit could be found in his son.

"_ I am not going anywhere." started the King. "I have **time**, to teach him to govern. But there is one thing he needs to understand first: a sovereign cannot look like a peasant. He must look impeccable to inspire respect." Thranduil was serious.

"_ Is this truly so important?"

"_ Isn't it?" asked the blond elf. "If you looked no different from the others, would they obey you without a doubt?" Galdor raised a brow. "Look at how you dress," Galdor was wearing fine black leather boots on top of extremely well cut clean beige pants, and a unique short white tunic with green embroidery. "Look at how I dress," As always, Thranduil was so impeccable he could have made the Morningstar grow pale of jealousy, " Think about how Alkien dresses." The Avari captain, when on duty, always wore his armour, it was a unique piece and was always so clean one could look at themselves in it. Even when he wasn't on duty, he was noticeable from the others. He wore both dark and pale colours together, and was always fully clothed when most Avari ellyn liked having their chest bare. "Think about how Elrond dresses. Think about how his sons dress. Do any of us look like our common people? No. We stand out." continued the king. " We don't look like them, nor think like them, nor act like them. By being different on those points, we inspire them respect, and fear, and trust. Setting eyes on us is enough for them to **know** we are leaders. And Legolas isn't one just yet."

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Until someone started knocking on the door, Sui had been sitting on Legolas's lap, playing with his hair. He had wanted to play with hers but she slapped his hand away the same way his father had done earlier, telling him she didn't not want him to mess it. He had wanted to tell her that it was already messy but before he had said anything he noticed that her hair was held in a perfect braid starting from the top of her head. Not even one curl threatened to come out of it.

She stood up and motioned for Legolas to change sit. He went to sit on the other side of the desk while Sui opened the door, knowing it couldn't be Albien for he was meeting with the elders at the moment. The elfling the twins had sent her the morning was the one who knocked. She let him in.

"_ _You are being asked to your tent by-_" He pause and stared at the prince biting his lips. The prince stared back wondering what was the elfling's problem with him.

"_ _What's wrong with you child?" _asked Sui, noting the tension. The elfling brought both his hand to his mouth as if to prevent himself from talking. Sui raised a brow. "_ Well, what is it?_" she instead. The elfing stubbornly shook his head. Sui stood straighter and put a hand on her hip. The child could see her impatience grow almost as well as his reflect in her shining newly made armour. _"Spit it out." _she ordered.

The elfling shook his head a little but in the end did not dare disobey.

"_ _Vice-Captain Ly-vaia, Captain Albien said Prince Legolas was not welcomed in the office and that should I see him here, or near you at all, I had to report it to him. He also said I wasn't to tell you about this." _The elfling was looking at the floor. Legolas pitied him a little, Sui could be quite charismatic when she wanted to. He understood children hardly made the difference between charisma and anger. The little elf was scared. The prince noted that she probably wasn't good at all with children. She was neither sensitive nor receptive enough to understand them.

"__ Go back, to the camp, and tell the Captain I will be there shortly. Do not mention the prince at any moment, do you understand?!_"

The elfling hesitated. He was torn between what was right or wrong to do.

"_ _But.. the Captain..._"he managed to mumble, after having decided that reporting was the right thing to do.

"_ _Nalfehn, tell me,_" she she bent down a little she could have a better look at his face. "_Who do you think will make you wish you could crawl back into your mother's womb if you did something that pissed them of?" _She asked the question on a tone so sweet the young Avari barely caught it was a threat. "My _brother? Or me?"_

"_ _You ._" he answered with no hesitation this time.

Sui smirked and gently petted his hair.

"_ _You are a clever elfling, Nalfehn._" she told him. She then opened a drawer, took a candy out of it and gave it to him. "_Now you that you don't what is best for the both of us_, y_ou may leave ._"

He put the candy in his mouth after suspiciously staring at it for a few seconds then ran away as fast as he could.

"_ Do you remember when I came to you earlier, in a bad mood because of my father?" started Legolas. Sui raised a brow. "You should have used that sweet tone to tell me to 'go sulk somewhere else'." he complained. She gave him an sarcastic smile that he did not enjoy seeing. He had come to her for comfort and she had rejected him. "You know what else would have been great at that moment?" he asked on the same reproaching tone.

Sui's teeth clench together.

"__ What?"_ she said aggressively. "Should I have hugged you? Held you in my arms?" She paused for a second. "Is that what you want? No!" she exclaimed. "What you want, I can't give to you! If I could, I would. But I can't! However if you want it so badly, why don't you try taking it for yourself?!" They could truly never be together for a long time without fighting. Sui wandered why they kept seeing each other when they could barely stand one another. She had tried avoiding him. It never worked out the way she had expected. She either found herself looking for him for comfort or he pursued her until she gave up and ended up in his arms. Damn him! He was like an addiction!

Legolas sighed. Sui was mostly right. She couldn't give _it_ to him. He stood and and took her in his arms, like he did so often. She tried to break free, but he was stronger. When she stopped resisting he pressed his lips against her cheek.

"_ Your are showing you love me the wrong way again." he told her amused. She meant to push him to act, instead she had reproached him with not acting. He was getting good at understanding what she meant despite the fact that it all almost came out raging the same way.

Sui felt uncomfortable at the mention of **love**. She wouldn't admit it to him but, she did like him, now. She liked his voice, she liked his smell, she liked him when he was close, she like him when he was far, hell, she even liked him when he was annoying or had made her mad. But love? Love? Nah. She didn't want to hear about it. That was a whole other level of affection that the one she was stuck on. And the level she was at already made her dizzy enough.

"_ I never said I loved you." she said as low as she could.

"_ Oh, but don't you?" he asked, flirtatiously. He expected her to growl. It was how she answered every time he asked her how she felt about him. She growled then buried her face in his chest. But she didn't growl. In fact, she didn't react at all. And despite the fact that she was caught in his tight embrace, he felt as if she was far away at the moment. He released her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you?" he insisted. He looked in the dark brown of her eyes and she looked right back in the blue of his. But she didn't answer. Nor tried to hide her face. Nor looked away. Nor even blinked once. She didn't love him. She knew it. She wouldn't say it, but she didn't love him back. He took his hands off her then stormed out of the room without saying a word nor looking behind.

She had had the time to see his face. It was empty, if a face could ever be. He wasn't angry. He wasn't sad either. He had seemed far above both. She wasn't sure what that meant,nor if she should run after him. So she just locked the door behind him.

Sui kicked the desk. When did his 'like' turn into 'love'? She kicked the desk again, harder. What happened to taking things step by step like he had promised? She hit the desk with both her fists. When he asked for her affection, she gave it to him. When he asked for her forgiveness she gave it to him. When he asked for her time, she made some so she could give it to him. When he asked for more display of her feelings, she put his pleasure first, forgetting about hers. Now he was asking for love!? What was he going to ask after that? Her hand?Children?Should she offer him the moon on top of it all? Would he be fucking satisfied then?


	30. Chapter 28: Grabbing the Pickles

**Chapter 28: Grabbing the Pickles**

_'I never said I loved you.'_

He could hear it again and again in his head. Only he heard "I **don't** love you." But what was the difference? She might not have said it but that is what she meant. How could he have been so stupid? Of course she wouldn't love him. For all he knew, she had barely just accepted the fact that she liked him. She _liked_ him. _Liked_ him. _Likes_ him. _Likes_. _Likes_. _LIKE_. He used to enjoy knowing that but at the moment, it reminded him awfully of when she had told him she bared some '_affection'_ for him. He wished he could knock a sense of emotions into her. Make her understand how feelings work so she would become more sensitive. Less cruel.

He sighed. _'I never said I loved you._' She had only just said that a few minutes ago. He looked around trying to acknowledge where he had walked off. There was door in front of him. Which door? He had no idea. He didn't even know in which corridor he was. He hadn't paid attention. He just wanted to be far away from the Avari. Far away. Far, far, far away. He could built a boat. Maybe use it to sail. Maybe then he would be far enough for him to think clearly. Yes, he could built a boat.

At the moment he turned his back to the door, it opened and white arms wrapped themselves around his waist. He knew too well to who they belonged. He liked this person. He liked her very much. She made him comfortable, feel safe. Never mind the boat for now. The sea could wait a little longer.

"_ I was just thinking that I missed you!I haven't seen for at least three days!" happily said Nellil. She released him so he could turn around. When he did, she hugged him again, with more strength.

"_ Argh!" he uttered. "I must tell Albien to train you less." She pouted as raised her head to look at his face. "You are growing so strong, you will soon be able to crush by bones with your arms." He chuckled. She smiled. A bright smile. A perfect smiled. He felt better already. Every thing about this elleth was warm and welcoming. What was he doing with the others, when he had her? She was beautiful, always in a bright mood, she barely ever complained, she loved children as much as he did, his people loved her, and she was gentle in every way. _Perhaps too gentle? Perhaps Too good for me? _He shook the thought out of his head.

"_ Come in!" she grabbed his hand led him inside her apartments. She had grabbed his hand. He had forgotten how that felt. Sui didn't like holding hands. "The governantes left a few minutes ago for lunch. Have you eaten?" she asked. She didn't wait for him to answer. "I have plenty of fresh fruits. We took them this morning with Albien, after the training." She let go of him to stare at him. "What's wrong?" she asked gently cupping his cheek with her little fingers. When did she started initiating contact? "Come on now, tell me." He didn't answer and looked away. She put both her hands on her hips and frowned. "I know this face. Don't tell me you fought with a friend again?"

Legolas raised a brow. How could Nellil not have guessed it was no longer about a **friend?** She was so innocent. So pure. So untouched by all the ugly of the world. He felt guilty. But not for cheating her trust, for wanting to keep her for himself when he loved another. Who did not even love him. He kissed Nellil's forehead protectively and sat on a couch. What the hell was he doing here?

"_ I did argue again with the avari, but it's not the only reason I'm feeling down." he offered. She sat near him, took his hands in hers and let her head drop on his shoulder. When did she get so comfortable around ellyn? It seems there is a lot he hadn't noticed about her lately. She seemed to have bloomed. She was more confident, yet, still as adorable and selfless.

"_ Did you argued with your father again?" He nodded. There was a comfortable silence. " What did you do?"

"_ Why do you assume** I** did something?" he said calmly, but offended. How odd. She blamed **him**, but it didn't infuriate him. He was still on a cloud, up in the sky and no one, nor nothing made him feel ill at ease. Her company was truly magic and appeasing. Like a cold and constant chanting river flowing over the on again-off again fire that had been his life since the Avari had arrived. Damn Avari. If they had never come here, his life wouldn't be such a blurry dirty mess right now.

"_ Well.. You are angry after two very different persons who, I suppose, also are angry at you...It can't be a coincidence." she said as nicely as she could. Legolas shifted a bit on his seat but didn't growl nor push her away. He just sighed.

"_ Father is hiding something... I know it, I can feel it...I know it's about Alkien. But I don't know what it is exactly." He kissed her hand. "I don't know what to do...What should I do?" he asked her.

"_ I don't know." she shrugged. "Maybe you should let it go, Legolas." she offered. He frowned. She had to come up with something else. "Or...You could ask him, **nicely**, to tell you about it. To tell you about it like he has probably told Sui and Albien about it." Legolas shook his head. "Then maybe you should ask Albien and Sui about it?"

"_ No, I don't trust him. I don't trust what he told them." He paused. This was a clear and concise communication without any hidden messages nor screaming. How simple. How wonderful. How wonderful even if the subject isn't. " I have to read that report with my own eyes." He realised something. " wait..I don't even understand how we could have received a report... They were only two who left and none of them went back to submit it." How suspicious. Where did that report come from? How did his father put his hands on it?

"_ Maybe they sent a bird!" exclaimed Nellil, liking the idea. Legolas raised a brow and smiled a little. " Or..another animal?" she offered hopping that might be more coherent.

The ellon laughed out loud. She pouted. She looked adorable. He kissed her forehead, his smile never leaving his lips.

"_ That most certainly did not happen." he assured her.

"_ Why not?!" How dared he make fun of her ? She knew for a fact that many people tamed animals to deliver messages. Her father did it. He had a beautiful white dove who brought him messages and sent them for him.

"_ Avari wouldn't...they have an incredibly huge trust issue. They trust no one but themselves. They would never send an animal."

She glared at him a little because he still looked amused by what she had said.

"_ What are you going to do then?" she said taking his hand in hers again to play with it.

"_ What Sui told me to do." he said on a serious tone. What else was he to do? Sui was right. He knew what he wanted, no one was going to give it to him, so why not take it? Why not act instead of waiting for something that would not come to him? Why not do something instead of ruminating on it, making himself miserable. He hated that Sui was right. He hated that she was right be because she did not love him. '_I never said I loved you.' _It all rushed back. He cringed. He started to doubt himself. Could he take things in his own hands?

"_ What did she tell you to do?" asked Nellil, slightly worried. If Albien was right, the younger elleth wasn't of good advice. She had turned Mhéléane who used to be a good child into a volcano. Or so she was told by Mhélir. '_She is a good person, but not a good influence' _Albien had told her when she asked if he could help her befriend his sister.

"_ She said..." _that she did not love me,_ he could not help but think_. "_She told me to take what I want."

"_ Then, I guess the real question is: Legolas, what do you want?"

* * *

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* * *

The heavy doors slammed open. Legolas entered. He was wearing a grey tunic, made of the same fabric as his father's robe. It was shiny, but not outrageously so. Under it, he wore perfectly white trousers, topped with dark brown boots decorated with golden symbols draw on the sides. He inspired confidence from head to toe.

Thranduil shifted in his chair. His son was rarely this elegant. But more importantly, he was never invited to join the meeting about to start.

"_ What are you doing here?" grounded the King's voice.

"_ Attending the council's meeting." answered the prince, keeping his cool as he walked towards the end of the long table, towards his father.

"_ Do I need to remind you that you are not a member of the council, son?" His gaze was intense, heavy. The other members of the council dared say nothing, nor even move. Except for Galdor who tried not to smile too brightly. He liked what he was seeing very much. Initiative. **Good** initiative. He wished the prince put that much effort in his training.

Legolas put his hands on the chair in front of Galdor's sit, on his father's right.

"_ This chair right there,"started the prince as he moved it away from under the table. "Is meant for the Prince to sit in." He paused. "And I am the prince." He sat. "I believe it has been empty for too long."

Thranduil didn't like his son's arrogance, but finally saw the spark he had been waiting to see in Legolas's eyes. He was ready. He had the courage, he had the wits, he had the will, he had ditched the doubts and the fear. Still, he had no intention on making it easy on him.

"_ What makes you think," He bent towards his son. "That I will not drag you out of here by the ears, like an elfling?"

"_ If you wanted me out of here, you would have already thrown me out." Legolas had imitated his father from the position he was sitting in to the tone of his voice to speak. He frowned. " And I am not an elfing." he said so low only his father and Galdor heard.

"_ You will always be an elfling to me." answered the King smirking.

Legolas grimaced. He would have to try harder, he understood that he wasn't completely in yet.

"_ Father, I have walked to the gates of Mordor, I am at the head of my own unit and it isn't because you appointed a unit to me but because those elves trust me as their leader." He paused. "I am now also helping Albien and Sui to manage the Avari camp," Thranduil tried to speak, but Legolas did not let him, he kept going. "AND they are no fools either." The king furrowed a brow, his son had succeeded on gaining more than his fain interest. "They didn't believe a word of what you told them about the report. They have started to doubt you."he lied. He paused again. " However, if you tell me the truth about it, I can use my leverage on them to convince them you told them the truth. I can help you control them." he offered. "But for that, you will have to accept me here, in the council. As an equal."

Thranduil sat straight in his chair. As always, his face was unreadable.

"_You can stay." he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "But let it be clear," he directed at his son only, "you are not my equal, yet, elfling." It sounded like he was either angry and joking. It was impossible to tell which one it was.

"_ I am not an elfling." spat, the youngest ellon in the room for the second time.

"_ Oh, how old are you again?" asked Thranduil sarcastically. Legolas growled. "Elfling!" he threw at his son again. Galdor rolled his eyes and murmured to Thranduil that he should keep the teasing for later. "Like I said, you can stay. But don't think I won't punish you for your arrogance."

"_ You mean for spilling your wine this yesterday morning?" corrected Legolas.

"_ Exactly." confirmed the King. "It was a very expensive bottle you ruined." he added glaring.

* * *

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* * *

Sui was in the castle's main kitchen. Trying to find something to her liking to eat. It had been two days now since she had last seen Legolas. When they fought, they usually went each their way angry and got back together a few hours later, holding apologies. But she had nothing to apologize for this time. She was not going to feel sorry because she didn't love the elf. Nope, out of the question. She didn't expect him to apologise either for the way he felt. No there was really nothing to do this time. Their backs were against wall. She had convinced herself it was about time everything ended. It had to end eventually anyway, so now, tomorrow, later, it didn't matter. It wouldn't change her life.

But it seemed that it did. Slightly, but surely. When the twins saw her work in the garden, earlier today, and asked her why she worked there, she had told them her office felt empty, even gloomy. They then mumbled a lot of words trying to link the lack of light in the office to the fact that Legolas wasn't in it. She couldn't see the link, but she agreed that it did felt like the office more lively when he was there. Then, pulling her in their arms, they told her it was alright to cry if she felt like it. She didn't feel like crying. She did not get the relevance of the question, and they were distracting her, so she had asked them to leave.

She grabbed a load of bread, some ham and put them on the table to free her hands so she could try grabbing the pickles which were a little bit too high for her to reach. Still she tried, determined, standing on a chair. The tip of her fingers could feel the cold of the jar. A hand grabbed it. But not hers. She turned around.

Legolas.

She noticed he was better dressed than he usually was. She thought she should say something. But what? They had tried, it had failed. They were stuck. End of the story. Maybe she should ask him to try to avoid her, like she tried to avoid him, in order to avoid awkward moments like now.

"_ I want you." he said, serious, firmly holding on the jar.

Sui raised a brow. She looked at the pickles. She wanted them. So she took them from his hands and headed to the table to make herself a sandwich.

"_ I am not an object." she answered with the Avari stillness as she started cutting the bread open. "I am not to be taken, nor given, nor even wanted."

Legolas sat in front of her, on the other side of the table.

"_ Do you remember, when we talked about me saying things you thought inappropriate and disrespectful when really, they weren't?" he asked, cutting himself some ham.

She looked at him.

"_ Are you referring to 'romance' again?" she asked. He nodded. " I know you explained what it was but, I still don't understand it. Nor do I find it proper on any level."

He shifted on his sit while eating. He was a little bit annoyed by his entrance having been ruined by her failing to recognise romantic gestures.

"_ Ok, let me rephrase my sentence in a way you will understand." he said, standing up to go take her in an embrace. He caged her with his arms so that she couldn't move hers. She growled. Her sandwich was ready but she could not move to reach it. "I want to be with you." he said in her ear, as if it was a secret no one else in the room should hear, despite them being alone. She stopped gesticulating.

"_ But I don't love you."

"_ I am well aware..." he said as he released her, now frowning. She tried to take her sandwich but he grabbed it first and took a bite. "You made it clear the first time. You don't have to remind me of it ever again." He sounded hurt. He gave her her sandwich back.

"_ Sorry?" It came out like a question. He smiled. The sandwich didn't look so appetizing any more. She gave it back to him. He took another bite.

"_ Look, I don't know how-..." he paused. "I just...I want to be with you. That's what I want." he started. "If you like me, can put together with me like I can put together with you, it's good enough, I guess." He took another bite of the sandwich. " The past two days without you were great." She furrowed both brows. What? Her past two days were miserable and boring. She worked. Worked. Talked to a bunch of people she didn't like. Oh, and worked some more! "They were simple, full of laughters, hugs and holding hands." She cringed. If she killed him now, would any one know **she** did it? "I had never felt so far from reality before. It was like being in a dream."he told her. That was it, she had heard enough. She snapped the sandwich out of his hands and headed for the door. He grabbed her and pulled her against him again. " I had never felt so loved and most of all, so **empty** before." he added. " You may be a meanie and yell at me all the time, but you keep both my feet down, on the floor. You push me to accomplish things, to get over myself. You make everything complicated and difficult. You challenge everything about me. And I love it." He smiled, trying to pull her even closer. "I missed you." he added before kissing her neck since she moved too much for him to catch her lips.

Sui felt her stomach warm up again. She hated that feeling. She moved as much as she could until he let her go. She was frowning. He didn't seem to take her frown seriously. He had a smug expression on, as if he knew she had missed him too.

"_ We can go back to the way things were on one condition." she exclaimed angrily. Only it wasn't anger, it was embarrassment. Legolas noticed. She had already given up fighting him. She liked being in his arms too much.

"_ I am listening."

"_You never," she started, determined "Ever, leave me in a room without saying a word." She looked furious. He knew she was being shy. "Never again!" she yelled.

He tried not to laugh and hold his hand out at her. She didn't take it, but she rushed to bury her head in his chest, messing the unfolded fabric of his tunic.

"_ Could it be that you missed me?" he teased. She bit his torso. What an idiot. Of course she had missed him. He laughed some more.


	31. Chapter 29: Part 1: Make her: prince

**Chapter 29: Part 1: I should make her prince**

"_ I can't believe you actually like him..." said Olion, leaving his food to grow cold. He stared at Sui intensely, waiting for answer. She was obviously uncomfortable discussing her feelings. Especially in front of Legolas **and** the twins. She shifted twice in her sit then sighed.

"_ Trust me, no one is more amazed by that than myself." She brought beck her attention on her food, trying hard to ignore Olion who was still staring.

"_ What did you do to her?" asked the red head, glaring suspiciously at the blond prince and pointing his fork at him. "Did you use magic? Potions? Hypnosis?" He squinted both eyes.

"_ Just a bright smile." answered Legolas, smirking, before pushing away the fork pointed at him.

"_ Has he become more arrogant now that he is part of the council or is it just me?" provoked Olion. The prince snorted.

"_ He has become quite arrogant." confirmed the elleth. The twins were busy fighting each other for the last piece of meat.

"_ I just thought about something," started Legolas, ignoring the others' criticism. He shifted to bent towards Sui, who instinctively hold her spoon like a weapon, to protect her food. " Now that they know, I get to do th-" She put a hand on his face and pushed him away before his lips reached her cheek, shutting him up.

"_ Stay away from me with your filthy mouth." she mumbled. He did not have food on his face. Sui was just ill at ease enough as it was. There was no need to add public affection to her discomfort. "Besides, a maid or a cook could come in at any second."

"_ Did you hear that?" started one of twin, sounding serious.

"_ What?" asked Legolas who hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary.

"_Legolas, did it hurt?" asked the other, looking worried.

"_ What ?" he asked again, worried this this time. He started inspecting himself.

"_ To be whipped so hard by someone half your size." laughed the twins. Olion and Sui joined them in their laugh. He was such an easy target.

The prince growled.

"_ That's it, I have had my dose of 'stupid' for the day." he said standing up. "I have to meet my Father." He kissed Sui's cheek. She didn't fight it this time, but she grimaced afterwards. The others were staring.

Legolas left happy.

Olion and the twin's staring amplified and the tension in room grew. Sui frowned. She had seen it coming her way.

"_ Okay, say it already." she growled. "You think it. I know that you are thinking it right now. So, just let it out before you choke on it." She put her spoon down on the table and waited for them for them to speak. They all looked at one another as if to agree it was time to talk about it to her.

"_ You shouldn't have agreed to going back together." threw Olion, since the twins seemed to have lost their tongues. "You should have let it be over once and for all."

"_ Don't you think I know that?!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

"_ He thinks he **loves** you, now." added Olion, aggravated by the situation. "What do you think will happen when you will leave?"

"_ I must stop it! I KNOW!" she yelled.

"_ Then why haven't you stopped it yet?"

Sui stared at him for a few seconds, mouth open, but said nothing. Then she sighed and stood up.

"_ I have some work to do." On that she left.

The twins stared at her back until she was completely out of sight.

"_ I didn't see that one coming, did you?" asked Elrohir, quite shocked to his brother.

"_ To be honest, no." replied Elladan. "I never thought it would go that far. "

"_ What are you two devils talking about?" Olion was lost. It seemed that once more, the twins knew more than every one else did.

"_ She isn't pretending. At least, **not any more**." they started at the same. "She might not love him, but she actually really likes him."

"_ You can't be serious?!" Olion frowned. "She is toying with him still." He looked at the couple's empty chairs. " She can't even be near him for five seconds without hurting him somehow."

"_ That's exactly our point." answered both twins, shrugging.

"_ She hates that she likes him," started Elladan.

"_ So she punches him." finished Elrohir.

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Legolas stood up and slammed both palm of his hands on his father's desk. Thranduil rolled his eyes and looked at Galdor as if to ask for his help. Galdor shook his head and remained silent. Thranduil wandered why he even tried to ask him for help. Galdor was very similar to Alkien : if there is trouble coming, unless they were directly concerned, they wanted no part in it. They took no one's side nut their own. They let people stand in their own mess.

"_ So you are only telling me NOW, that they have been missing for TWO WHOLE WEEKS?!" screamed the prince. His face was red with anger. "And, we know NOTHING of their doings since they've left?!" Thranduil nodded and motioned for Legolas to sit. He reluctantly did so. If only his father had let him go with the Avari, there wouldn't be in such a situation. Or maybe he would have disappeared too? "Why haven't you told Albien yet?" he asked, regaining his calm, but still disapproving of everything

"_ We need them to keep their heads cool and focused in order to take care of the camp. The situation is already shaky enough as it is." explained the King.

Legolas laid back in his chair.

"_What if they are dead?" He shook his head. "What if the Hwenti killed them?"

"_ They very likely **are** dead." agreed the King. After all, Alkien wasn't supposed to leave for more than a month, Geldrick was supposed to come back after two weeks and yet no one had returned, and the mission should have ended two weeks ago. "However they could also have been captured. Or delayed. Or have fled their responsibilities, although that last argument would truly come as a surprise. We can't exclude any possibilities, we don't know enough on neither avari tribe to speculate."

"_ And that's exactly why we must bring this matter to Albien's attention!"

"_ Doing that would **screw** our relationship with them." The king was rarely this rude, but he knew that if he wanted Legolas to understand his point of view, he had to use strong words. "And we can't risk to have them revolt while the Hwenti stand on our very doorstep."

"_ If you don't tell Albien, I am telling Sui." threatened the younger elf. Galdor raised a brow at that. The both of them were just as stubborn. He wondered if he should step in to help the balance fall one side.

"_ Perhaps I should have her join the council in your place." spat Thranduil. " She seems, to be the key to my making decisions for the realm, as of late." he complained.

"_ Perhaps you can even make her prince in my stead if you believe her so valuable for the decisions making of the realm." replied Legolas, just as full of sarcasm.

"_ I just might." He sounded truly tempted. It unnerved his son, who stood up and headed for the door. "Tell both of them they are summoned to the throne's room as soon as free."

The door closed.

"_ Am I hallucinating or did you just agreed with your son?" teased Galdor.

Thranduil rolled his eyes.

"_ My motivations aren't wrong." started the king, shifting position to turn to Galdor. "But I have to admit that having a better knowledge of the Hwenti, the Kinn-laï might be able to clear what happened to their Captain for us."

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The night had fallen fast. Time fled at an unnatural speed when you kept secrets. Legolas looked through the window. It was dark. There were almost no stars in the black of the sky tonight. He could barely distinguish the castles lights because of the thick fog. He had chosen to establish his office in the furtherest away tower of the castle. He liked to be fully isolated when he worked. He liked to know no one was looking at him.

Except some one was. A head popped from outside of the window. It startled him so that he almost fell of his chair. The head laughed out loud. He stood up and helped Sui to come inside. Why the hell had she climbed that wall? She could have simply used the stairs, no one would have noticed.

He sat on the side of his desk. She started looking at what he had been writing. Gibberish about grapes. Something about how to make a good wine. She looked at him. She had never seen him look so bored before.

"_ Enjoying your punishment?" She grinned as she tossed away what he had carefully written, as if it had been garbage. Well, it** was** garbage to him so he didn't mind much.

"_ It wouldn't be a punishment if I enjoyed it." He gathered what she hadn't thrown on the floor yet and put it out of her reach. "Did you come here to witness how miserable I was because I dared spilling some wine, or to finally congratulate me about being in the council?" He brought his face closer to hers as he said that. She laid back his chair, putting dome distance between them.

"_ Neither." She grinned again. He raised a brow. She put her feet on his neat desk. He pushed it away, not wanting the dirt on her boots to spoil his desk. "I came here to hear **you** thank **me** for pushing you to force your way in the council."

He moved to be sit on his desk again, in front of her,.

"_ Oh I see..." he looked away as if thinking. "You expect to get praises for my well accomplished job."

She stood up and came close. She was standing between his legs, and had a hand put on his desk on each side of his body. He was trapped.

"_ Job that you wouldn't have been able to accomplish without-?" she asked, purposely not finishing her sentence. "Say it!" she insisted as he said nothing. "I'm waiting~"

"_ Job that I wouldn't have been able to accomplish without you." he finally said before catching her lips with his for a brief moment.

"_ Your very welcome." she winked at him and kissed him. He laughed a little.

"_ We should celebrate your making me a member of the council." he offered ironically. She got the irony but decided it actually was a good idea.

"_ Great!" she exclaimed. He wondered if she could be any more full of herself. It made him laugh some more. "And how do you propose we celebrate my humble person?"

He decided she could be more full of herself. He grabbed her chin and pulled it up so she could look nowhere else but at his face. Her eyes lingered on lips. She wanted to kiss him. But she wanted him to give in first.

"_ How perfect of a timing," he started. "I was just thinking that I could make you forget my name doesn't mean orgasm now, like I promised." He licked his lips.

"_ You mean like you threatened to do." she corrected.

He bit his lips. She wasn't going to flinch. So he was. She was too tempting. He grabbed her waist and turned her around so her back would be facing him. He slowly pushed her braid over her shoulder and while he brushed the naked skin of her neck with his lips he took off her armour with his hands. She grabbed it before it could fall and put it on the empty chair. Legolas's hands then wandered slowly under her white thin cotton shirt. His fingers were rough because he used the bow very often. But his caresses were nonetheless enjoyable. They made her shake a little.

Sui bit her lips when he cupped her breasts. She put her hands on top of his, over the fabric of her shirt and closed them tighter around her. He gasped. She grinned. He wanted her.

She turned around and sat on top of him. He adjusted her position so there would be no space between their chest. Her nipples where hard and he could feel them against him through their clothes.

She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled it hard enough for him to jerk his head back but not so hard it would hurt. His neck was at her mercy. She sucked his skin in her mouth, making him shiver. His fingers dug in her skin. She bit his collar bone. He grunted. She let go of his hair.

As soon as he regained his freedom, he assailed her lips. Kissing her roughly. Holding her head with both if his hands. She kissed him back just as hard, swirling her tongue around his. He pulled out and started tugging at her earlobe. She moaned. Her lips where still wet with his saliva.

When he stopped, she took her shirt off. She tried to kiss him he didn't let her.

"_ All of it." he purred. "Take it all off." he ordered. "I want to see all of you."

She stood up and undid her belt as slowly as she could. Every second that passed made him want rip her trousers off. But he did not. He breathed as slowly as he could and tried not to move. When the belt was off, she let it fall off her hand. She then sucked on two of her fingers, holding his gaze with hers, and slid her hand down her neck, past her breasts, her belly, inside her trousers. Her fingers started pushing restlessly against her clit.

Legolas bit his lips as he watched her move and listened to her moan. Of course she wouldn't have obeyed. She never did. Of course she would push him to his limits. It would be too easy otherwise. His blood boiled in his vein. She had told him that if he wanted something, he should take it for himself. Well he wanted her. He wanted to be inside her. He wanted her helpless and begging. If she wanted it rough, he would make it so.

He jumped off the desk, grabbed her and pulled her pants down. Without giving her the time to react, he sat her on the desk and parted her legs so he could stand between them. With no hesitation, and hunger in his eyes, he opened his trousers to let his erect cock out and pressed it against her entrance. He had waited long enough, he would have her now. She grabbed his hard sex before he could sink it inside her.

"_ What do you think you are doing?"

"_ Planning on making you come until you pass out?!"

She bit her lips and looked at his cock. She just had to remove her hand and let him slide inside of her. Only thinking about it made her shiver with desire. She felt like his body was missing from hers.

"_ Your cock might be the way to ecstasy but..." She raised her head to look at his face. "It's not going inside me."

Hearing that almost made him fall on his knees.

"_ Why not?" He was both angry and frustrated. Talking, was not what he wanted to be doing at the moment.

"_ Because of the link!" She gently pushed him away by pressing a hand against his chest. Once there was some distance between them, she could think about something else than how badly she wanted him. She closed her legs.

"_ What do you mean the link?!" he threw. "You are Avari, it won't affect us!" he said coming closer. She prevented him from coming too close with a foot.

"_ And you are a wood elf, and we have no idea what will happen if we actually have sex." she explained. It was already bad enough that he thought he loved her, she wouldn't risk joining his soul to hers.

Legolas puffed angrily. " I see. Mhélir, who you claim you have no feelings for can make you his and I can't make you mine." He laughed hysterically. She was so shocked that she did not find the words to contest n time. "So that's how it is." he concclueded.

The elleth stood up. He wanted to be cruel? He wanted to get personal? She would make him swallow back his words and regret he even had a mouth to speak.

"_ Yes," she started calmly, as if unmoved. " Yes, he can fuck me! Anyway he wants and any time he wants!" she threw at his face. Legolas's heart stopped beating. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Or do you wish for details on his cock?"

"_ Spare me some time, leave now and don't come back." His eyes were dead yet his voice was full of emotions. "Go with him and let **him** do to you what I can't!" he yelled.

"_ WATCH ME!" she yelled back at him, before picking her clothes up. She would dress outside. She didn't want to be in the same room as him. No. She **couldn't** be in the same room as him. But before going for the door she had one last thing to say. "And so we're clear," she started on a cold tone. "I am no more **his** than I am **yours**. Nor will I ever be." She looked at him right in the eyes. "I am my own. I belong to no on-"

He pushed her against the wall and kissed her violently before she could finish her sentence. Sui didn't try to pull out. She thought she should, and she knew she could; he would never force her to do anything she didn't want to do, it was against his very nature; but she didn't move. Instead, she kissed him back with just as much strength. She was past anger and rage, and so was he. Neither of them knew for sure if they wanted to punch the other or fuck them. In doubt, sex sounded like the better option.

He turned her around, so she faced the wall and blocked both of her her hands against it, with one of his hands. Control. He had it all now.

He cupped her breast with his free hand as he nibbled her earlobe. She angrily held back her moans, refusing to give it. But her body reacted well to his touch. And trapped between the wall and his body, there wasn't much she could do to avoid being touched. Still, she was Avari, she did not give up, and kept trying to ignore the pleasure taking over her body. She growled when he released her and she couldn't feel his hard sex presses against her any more.

She turned around. He was staring, liking his lips as he looked at her up and down. She took a step forward and he took one back, smirking.

"_ You fought to be free. Now you are. Isn't it what you wanted?" he told her.

She frowned. She wanted her arms to be free, so she could touch him, control what was happening. She didn't want him two meters away from her, hard and sweaty. Tempting. Delicious. Gorgeous. Fucking perfect!

"_ That's not what I want!" she exclaimed taking a step forward. He took a step back again. " Stop that!" she shouted.

He smirk grew wider.

"_ Then stop fighting back. Tie your hands with your belt; and I will let you come closer." He picked the belt up and threw it at her. She caught it. But didn't move.

"_ Come tie them yourself!" she hissed as she held her hands towards him. The minute he would be close enough, she would tie him up and suck on his lips until they bruised!

The ellon shook his head. "I know better." he purred. "Until you are restrained, I am not coming anywhere near you." He was defiant, and confident. She glared at him and was determined not to obey so Legolas decided to push her a little more. He took his cock in his hand and started stroking its lengths gently. It made him grunt a little and it made her clench her fists. She tried coming closer again. He took a step back again. She cursed, then with a hand and her mouth, she tied her hands with the belt, loose enough for her to remove it later. "Tie it tighter." he ordered. She wanted to throw the belt on the floor. She didn't do it. She examined him. The small braids that held his hair were loose, his eyes were a shade darker, his lips curled into a grin, his skin white and untouched, his muscles tense. His whole body just begged to be ruined. Ruined by her tiny hands and her mouth. What she wouldn't give to have **him** tied up!

She clamped the belt tighter. There. She couldn't get her hands out. She glared at him again. He seemed satisfied and finally came closer.

He lifted her by the hips easily enough and sat her on his desk. She tried to kiss him but he avoided her lips, so she bit his neck. He pushed her backwards so she would lay on the desk, then spread her legs apart. She was restrained, being more or less obedient (she was already waving her wrists to free her hands), and he couldn't shake away the thought that she was his. There was nothing stopping him from taking her now, was there? He stood between her legs, and spread them more so that she would be completely exposed. His fingers dug into her thighs as a burning sensation spread inside him.

Yet, he decided to take things slowly. He played with her nipples until they were so sensitive she couldn't focus on freeing her hands any more. Her skin prickled with passion every time his fingers danced on her skin, tracing the blooming flowers tattooed on her left side. He then kissed her stomach. Her belly. The inside of her thigh. Her legs were shaking as he held him apart and still. While sucking on the skin of her inner thigh roughly, he started massaging her clit gently. She started panting. Heavily. Finally, she moaned. Shyly. But it was enough for him to make his next move.

He put bother her legs over his shoulder, and without hesitation, delved his tongue in her sex a first time. Her head jerked back. She could feel his breath on her. He pinched her sensitive spot lightly with his wet lips. She inhaled sharply. "Again!" she pleaded. "Do it again!" She was not looking at him, she knew he was grinning. He did it again. And again. And again, making her whimper each time. She curled her toes, fighting the urge to close her thighs around his head when he started alternatively sucking her clit in his mouth and pressing on it with his tongue.

With an extra-effort, she managed to grab one of his hands, and bring it to her lips, to seductively take two of his fingers in mouth and part them with her tongue. And since he couldn't help but look as she played with him, she made sure to hold his gaze with her hungry eyes. He groaned. And as soon as she released his fingers, he buried them deep inside her, causing her back arch, and making her cry out with pleasure. He found she was tight but moist and warm. Still he removed his fingers, and before slamming them inside of her once more, he started molesting her nub with his tongue again, covering her pulsing sex with his mouth. The muscles of her thighs contracted with excitement, at the same time as her cunny muscled did around his digits.

Before long, she reached her climax and came loudly. He licked her slit one last time, causing her hips to rock forward a little.

She sat up, hoping to find him still erect but his sex had gone soft. She pouted.

"_ When did you-"

"_ When you sucked on my fingers..." he whispered slightly embarrassed but smiling nicely, as he freed her hands. She had looked sinfully hot at that moment. Only thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

She would have kissed him, but she remembered the horrors he had told her before, and decided that he didn't deserve her tenderness.


	32. Chapter 29: Part two: Gagged

**Chapter 29 : part 2 : Gagged **

Sui wasn't sure what was more intense . The shame or the guilt ? She had reached a knew level of self pity because of Legolas. She had betrayed herself. He had made her mad. Furious. Even more than that. She could still feel it all burn inside her. Yet she had let him do as he pleased with her. Why the shame ? Because she had enjoyed every minute of what had happened and would gladly let him have her again and again despite what he had said. Just how much further could he drag her from herself ? If only she had left the room faster, it would all have been over. All of it! No more meeting in secret, no more kissing on the back of the shoulder, no more caresses, no more fighting for a yes or a no. No more _complications._

She put her armour back on and was ready to leave. He was still naked, sitting on his chair and didn't seem to be in a hurry to dress up. He was close enough so he tried to kiss her but she avoided him and took a step back.

"__ I am still pissed._" she told him glaring. She wouldn't even bother speaking in his tongue.

"_ I think you already made that clear." he replied, referring to the scratches he could still feel burning on his back, and to his bruised lips. He would have to say he got involved in a fight, what was true enough for it not to be lie. As he said that, he grabbed her arm, gently, so she she wouldn't take another step back and be out of reach.

She put a hand on his and removed it.

"__ No, I mean it._" She walked to door and grabbed its handle.

"_ I shouldn't have said any of it." he started. He was truly sorry. Now that he had less testosterone clouding his mind, he knew she was right to have stopped him. If she had let him take her like he had wanted, who knows what would have happen when she would have left? He might love her, but it was best to keep the link unsealed for now. Plus, it wasn't the first time he thought had found the one. He once wanted Unel to be his wife... Sui was right not to rush things." I lacked respect to you, and I am sorry for it. I was just... taken over by my emotions."

Sui bit her lips. If she had been in his stead, she would have never managed to apologise this nicely. She sighed. Damn him!

"_ _Alright, I am still pissed, __**after**__ that one kiss._" She went back to kissed him. Briefly. "And by the way, I can still make the difference between your name and the word orgasm."

He chuckled.

"_ Your brain may know the difference, but your body responds to my name and orgasms the same way." he answered grinning.

She started shaking her head.

"__ I hate you so much._" she said sounding desperate but smiling. There was really nothing to do about his arrogance, was there? She headed for the door but stopped again before opening it. "You should learn to control it." she said, serious.

"_ My anger?" he asked. '_Because you're doing such a great job at it!'_

"__ Your emotions. All of it."_ she answered before leaving the room.

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Sui hadn't walked twenty metres away from Legolas's office that Mhéléane came out of the dark, to walk beside her.

"__ Is it me, or were you just having sex with the prince of Mirkwood_?" she asked sounding almost uninterested. She wasn't angry at Sui any more for not having supported her with Mhélir when he had opposed to her decision to be with Elrohir. She was actually thankful. Elrohir was a great party, and he did make her hands warm despite what she told him. She just wasn't ready for it all yet. She wanted to enjoy her status as a 'child' some more instead of cutting it short like Sui. Compared to humans, and for wood elves, they might be fully grown up ellyth but like Mhélir keeps saying _'If you are not old enough for war, you are not old enough for love.'_

"__ It's _'Eryn Lasgalen'." corrected the vice-captain. "I_f the wood elves hear you call it '_Mirkwood' _they will chew you up._"

"_ _So you don't deny it?_" insisted the younger elleth, raising a brow.

"__ Clearly you have been listening, so why do you even ask?!" _answered Sui, hiding her embarrassment. She would rather no Avari had found out about it. Legolas wasn't exactly liked among them. The Avari thought he looked like a elleth and fought like one. After all, when they were training, except with the bow, he didn't exactly shine brightly. He was always distracted, he never listened, or found excuses to not show up. Alkien said several times that there was more to Legolas than what he showed, but if he didn't show his potential, how were they supposed to judge his ability to fight? No, no Avari should know about this. They would make fun of her. And Mhélir would definitely feel insulted.

"__ Trust me, if I had know you were going to have sex in there, I would have asked someone else to stand guard in my stead." _She truly would have rather been somewhere else. "_How did it happen, you and him?"_

"__ I don't know."_ Sui shrugged. _"And honestly, if someone could explain to me how I managed to seduce a wood elven prince, I would be eternally in their debt."_

"__ You don't sound too happy about it." _noted Mhéléane.

"__ Because I am not!"_ replied the older elleth trying not to be too loud. _"What is there to be happy about?! I am lying to my brother, neglecting yours, helping blondie cheat on his other half, and have become soft as new born!_"

Mhéléane stopped walking. So did Sui. She turned to face her friend who was standing a step behind.

"__ I never thought I would live to hear you feel guilty about something."_ she said truly amazed.

"__ No, you don't get it."_ answered the vice-captain. _" I don't feel guilty at all. I am even enjoying myself. That's the problem. It all feels awfully right!"_

Unable to find something to say, the green eyed elleth left. There was no need to talk about confidentiality, they both knew they could trust one another. Sui sighed. She started wishing again that the time to leave the woodland realm would come soon again. Then she would be able to start over without a blond ellon to make her act like a desperate 100 years old teenager.

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The next morning, when heading to the throne's room, Sui found Nellil and Unel on her way. The princess bowed conventionally, so she answered with the Avari military salute to be polite. Unel simply nodded to the her, remembering how rude she had been when she had taken care of her wound.

"_ I am sorry I am making you late, but I was wandering if you knew were I could find-"

"_ Legolas?" cut the Avari."He is training his unit. He should be done in any minutes now."

Sui turned around but before she could start walking, Unel asked her to wait.

"_ You call the prince by his first name?" she asked, raising a brow. She looked like she had something in mind.

"_ Well, he was named that so we could call him that." answered Sui shrugging. Until now she had forgotten about Unel. She had forgotten that she also had a 'thing' with Legolas. It didn't bother her that much considering he had ended their relationship long before he had started having feelings for her. Yet, she felt like something was off. She wondered if; like Unel, she was the 'entertainment' of the moment and soon he would get bored of her and end things. Not that it wouldn't make both their lives easier but she didn't want him to let go of her just yet. Just like she didn't want to let go of him now. Not just yet. Despite all the fighting and screaming, she felt like they could still bring some comfort to one another and she wasn't ready for that to go away. Not now.

"_ I meant to ask about Albien..." said Nellil, with her tiny voice.

Sui squinted an eye when she heard her. Even her voice was adorable. With some retrospective, Nellil wasn't to blame for anything that had happened to her. She had been appointed a task and she had failed to accomplish it because she didn't feel like assisting someone in need of a little help. Bringing the princess a bloody dead squirrel had definitely been going over the line. If anything, she was to thanks for being the reason why she met Legolas in the first place. Only, it was completely inappropriate to do so for obvious reasons.

"_ _Oh, my brother?"_ she started trying to sound as friendly as she could. "He is already in the throne room, with the King, waiting for me." She knew she had to leave but the blue eyed elleth looked stressed, as if holding something that needed to come out. "Would you like me to give him a message for you?"

Nellil shook her head, looking at the floor.

"_ No, thank you. I would rather tell him myself."

Sui nodded then left. She was late to see the King.

* * *

·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·

* * *

The King was still talking but Sui wasn't listening to him any more. **'Dead'**. What did he mean by Alkien and Geldrik were '**dead'.** They couldn't be **dead**. It was just a spying mission and both Avari were more than qualified to do fulfil it without even being noticed. '**Dead**'?! Why wasn't Albien saying anything?!

_'SAY SOMETHING! DO SOMETHING! DON'T LET THEM THINK THEY ARE DEAD!THEY ARE NOT DEAD!He doesn't know what he is talking about! The king doesn't know WHO he is talking about!'_

She stared at Albien intensely waiting for him to react. But he didn't react. He was just standing there, accepting everything as fact. Sui couldn't hear anything any more. The King was still talking but all she heard was a piercing silence, and it was growing on her.

"_ They could have been made hostages." she finally broke through. The king was cut in his speech but forgave the her for her rudeness. No elfling would take well the news that their father was dead. "Maybe... the Hwenti captured them and-

"_ Sui," Albien interrupted her. He was calm, slightly colder than usual. He was affected too, but there was no helping it if his father was dead. He now had the responsibility to take care of everyone until...until they either found a place to stay and chose another Captain or until they went back to FellSvogee. "The Hwenti don't take prisoners, you know that." He tried to be comforting and put a hand on his sister's shoulder.

She immediately moved away from him.

"_ It's only been two more weeks! It's -

"_ It has **already been** two more weeks," started the King "And Geldrick should have been back a month ago." He didn't mean to, but he had sounded hasher than he should have been. He looked at Galdor, who had more practice dealing with this sort of things, for help.

"_ What the King meant to say," started the Captain, "Is that we have had no news for too long. I am sorry but we have no other choice than to declare them dead...or deserters, if you rather, but I highly doubt they would have fled their responsibilities." Galdor was calm and sounded sympathetic. He had worked with the two young Avari and had grown quite fond of them. He had no children of his own, but hoped that if one day he had any, they would be as bright and smart as Albien and as alive and curious as Sui.

Sui's eyes took an unusual spark. Albien noticed it and wondered if he should knock her out before she could do something that would have repercussions on them all.

"_ WHAT ARE YOU-" Albien immobilised his sister and put hand on her mouth so that she wouldn't be able to speak.

"_ Dead." said the Avari ellon. "They should be declared dead." There would never have fled. They had no reasons to do so, and even if they had had any, they wouldn't have left".

"_ I am truly sorry for your loss." said Thranduil. At that Sui started to squirm again to try to break free. "Alkien was greatly appreciated by Galdor and myself. He was a friend. He will be missed by the whole realm."

There were a few seconds of silence.

"_ What shall we do then?" asked Albien.

"_ What do you mean?" The King shifted in his sit. The crown always felt heavier when difficult topics had to be discussed.

"_ Shall we leave?" cleared the Avari. The king was surprised to find that Albien was just as direct as his father.

"_ Not now." he answered. "As long as the Hwenti are in our woods, along with orcs, you are not to leave, unless you wish it. I will not push you to your death." He paused. "However, once we will be rid of them, and **we will be**, yes, I will expect you to leave my land."

The King would not grant them some territory. They would have to crawl back to their hole or beg another sovereign for their hospitality. And time was missing. They didn't know how fast things were evolving in FellSvogee. No new came from there for some reason.

Lost in his thought Albien loosened his grip on Sui, who jumped on the occasion to free her mouth and scream angrily, as loud as she could "We can't go back!" Even the guard who always stayed silent and never moved were startled. "You have to explain it to him!" she told her brother. "We can't go back!"

Thranduil stood up. Had he missed something? Were there things that the Avari had succeeded on keeping secret from him? What did the elleth mean by_ 'can't go back'_? He was told that the Kinn-lai had grown too numerous and needed to expand their territory, only, they more or less lived in a cave and couldn't dig it any bigger. There was never any mention of not being able to go back there. Why couldn't they go back there? The overpopulation couldn't be so bad they couldn't go back there.

"_ What does she mean?" asked the King. It sounded more like an order than a question.

Trying to keep his cool, Albien stopped glaring at his sister and tuned to the king.

"_ We were sworn to secrecy." he offered. "I cannot, and will not talk about it any further. Even if our Captain is dead, the oath still stands."

Sui took an offensive position towards her brother, her face was red, ready to erupt.

"_ DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KEEP IT SECRET when saying it could be a game changer?! Could help us out of here and out of there?!" she exclaimed. Alkien might be dead (even if she was convinced of the contrary), but it didn't mean they had to bury themselves with him. They were in a situation dire enough to break the oath. Perhaps if the king knew how the rest of the Kinn-laï were dying, trapped by rocks, buried under them, crushed by them, he would help. And with the Hwenti constantly watching their every move, it's not like they could leave FellSvogee with all the wounded, the pregnant ellith and the very young eflings. He couldn't leave an entire ethnic group to extinction! He wouldn't would he?

Albien took a deep breath. He could not loose his cool now. Not in front of the king, not as new Captain, not now. He wanted none of these responsibilities to be his. He hadn't even wanted the trainee-ship for Captain his father had given him, but he had wanted to make him proud. Good thing he had accepted it in the end. Who else than him could take care of the camp now? If none of the elders were appointed Captains by Alkien, it was mostly because they would have refused the job. No one could blame them, it came with so much inconveniences that no matter how praised the position was, they didn't judge it worth it. They had seen too many Captains collapse under their responsibilities, the rules, tempted by all the power they had been given, or even giving up on having a life of their own. No, one aware of it all wanted the job. Right now, Albien had no choice but to deal with it and bid goodbye to his freedom. Hopefully, soon enough, the Hwenti would leave, and they would be able to communicate with FellSvogee and she would send them an experienced Captain.

" _ Sui, leave now, before you break your oath and betray us all." he ordered her. He didn't even look at her. She couldn't stand being here any more. Every one in the room was making her sick. Why wouldn't they listen to her? Hadn't she already proven that she was more than capable? Hadn't she already proven that her opinions mattered?

Fine.

If they refused to hear her, she would find a way to make them listen.

·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·

The heavy doors of the throne rooms closed behind her as she left the room. The ellyn inside were too busy arguing with one another instead of trying to solve the real problems. The Hwenti, in the forest couldn't stay there forever... Neither could the rest of the Kinn-laï stay in FellSvogee. It wasn't safe. Not enough. They had to find somewhere else for them all. And they had to find another place quickly, before either nature or the Hwenti killed them all.

Contrary to Alkien who had thought that with time, Thranduil would welcome them and to Albien who seem to think that waiting for an opportunity to leave was the best they could do now, Sui wanted to **create** the opportunity. But before she could give more thought to the subject, a voice she knew called for herd. Someone was asking her to wait for them. Legolas was asking her to wait him.

She stopped, and before he could come too come close she asked him:

"_ Did you know?" Legolas stared at her. He didn't know what to answer, he didn't how to react. "You knew!" she said, bitterly before turning to leave.

He stopped her by holding her shoulder.

"_ Yes, I knew. I-"

"_ Why didn't **you** tell me?" she asked coldly, insisting on the 'you'. If he had found out before her, he should have been the one to tell her. It was common decency. He should have done it even just for the sake of their friendship. For her. Was it so much to ask for?

"_ I didn't think was my place to-"

She started leaving. She didn't care about whatever excuse he had. He should have told her. He didn't tell her. End of the story. He was no better than his father to whom he reproached with keeping too many secrets.

The prince watched at her walk away for a few seconds. She obviously didn't want to be with him now. But having seen how angry she was when she had left the throne room; so angry she walked past him without even seeing him; she obviously wouldn't run to Albien either for comfort once he would come out. Who else was left to give her comfort? Mhéléane? Not her type. Mhélir? Legolas would rather die than let that happen.

He ran after her and used his strength to trap her in his arms. She fought harder than she usually did, but he refused let her go. She eventually froze, and the red of anger on her face was submerged by the blue of sadness. Yet there were no tears. She made no sound. She was simply motionless, as if lifeless.

The guards and a few servants were eyeing him while hugged her but it didn't matter much right now.

"_ I am sorry." he whispered. "I am so sorry." he said again. Sui didn't answer. Her tiny body was shaking a little now. "Alkien was-"

"_ WAS?!" she shouted. "He is NOT dead!" she yelled at him as she pushed him away. For a moment she had thought he understood. But he didn't. Why didn't **he** understand?!

* * *

In the mass of maids who had stopped to stare at their good prince showing compassion to the little Avari who had just lost her father, Unel saw everything. She understood everything: the rumours were never just rumours in the end. He wasn't favouring her as a friend, he liked her. He was protective of Sui like he used to be protective of her. Like he used to care for her. She sighed. She knew what she had to do. She wanted revenge, and wanted to make things rights. Thankfully doing one, meant doing the other in this case. However, more than one person would be hurt, and she was not looking forward to that. She wouldn't enjoy any second of it, but it had to be done, it was only fair.


	33. Chapter 30: The Captain

**Chapter 30: The Captain's anger**

Sui had locked herself in the twins' chambers so that no one would bother her. She wouldn't let them in either. They would have to stay in the corridor until she decided she was ready to face the ugly world again. From the balcony of their room, she had a view on absolutely everything. She could see that the night had fallen and Albien with the help of some of the elders, had started gathering all of the Avari in the camp together to officially announce Alkien's death.

She couldn't let them do that. She couldn't let him make them believe this lie. She left the room in a hurry and ran out of the castle as fast as she could.

Unfortunately, from the twins' apartments, going to the court took a lot of time, and the castle was a real maze. Sui arrived near Albien, just when he had finished talking. She arrived too late. Now if she tried telling them none of what her brother has said was true, no one would believe her.

Albien was the Captain, Alkien's prodigy son who excelled in everything and knew everything. People trusted him. She was just Sui, Vaïmen The Steal and Lynmae's last child, and the only one who so far had failed to live up to the great family's standards of complete self control. No one was quite sure why she was appointed vice-Captain, and they had just accepted that she was good enough for the title, as long as Albien watched her doings from close. No one would believe her over him. What should she do now? She bit her lips, shut her eyes tight and tried to think. She only had a few seconds to do something, before every one left.

* * *

Albien was surprised to find her standing behind him when he tuned. She looked neither sad nor angry any more. But..determined? Or sorry? He wasn't sure. People started leaving, but she asked him nicely if he could call them back, so she could also say a few words in memory of her adoptive father. Touched, he granted her her wish, and asked his people a few more minutes of their time. They all came back and he let her take his place in front of everyone.

* * *

Her heart was beating. Usually when she had that many eyes set on her, she was either too angry to care or in a middle of a duel. She took a deep breath. If she messed up, she wouldn't have another go at it. It was now or never. She looked at all the faces. She closed her eyes and took one more deep breath. The fear faded away completely. She had nothing to be afraid of. She was not going to fail because she was not allowed to. Beside, she had studied languages and Alkien's way of using speech to manipulate others long enough to use t all now. No. She knew exactly what she was doing. It would be alright. And if it wasn't, at least she would have tried and given it her best.

She grinned.

Seeing her grin, every one wondered if she had gone mad. Or if this was all a bad joke. Anyway, she it had caught their curiosity.

* * *

Legolas, Galdor and Olion who had see the gathering from afar and wondered what was happening, arrived at the Avari camp, surprised to see Sui standing where they expected Albien would be. It worried all of them, but Albien seemed confident, and told Galdor he had allowed her to speak. They were all standing behind her, and couldn't see her smile. They had no idea of what was coming their way.

* * *

"__ I am Ly-vaïa. I am Sui. I am Alkien's daughter._" she spoke loud enough for every one to hear and sounded sure of herself. Her speech being steady and her voice firm, she gained everyone's full attention. " _But more importantly, I am Avari. I am Kinn-laï. I do not give up. I do not shy away because my enemy is taller than I am, stronger than I am, fights better than I do._"

The crowd smiled proudly. They were Avari, they were warrior and liked being reminded of it. Plus, how ironic was it that the one who's maturing song was about defying the odds was talking about fighting stronger adversaries?!She knew starting there would appeal to them and used it to ease in what she wanted to ask of them.

* * *

Legolas took a step forward, he wanted to stop her now. He had no idea where this was going, but was certain he didn't want it to get there. When his father or Galdor started a speech by flattery, generally they ended it by ordering their troops to do something exceedingly annoying, hard or dangerous. He had a feeling Sui was about to do the same thing. But Albien, stopped him with one arm, and told him to wait. What was he waiting for to interrupt her? Hadn't he received the lesson on 'how to manipulate people to do what you want them to' as part of his trainee-ship? Or was he buying the false complement?

No, this was Albien. He always knew what he was doing? If he thought it was better to let Sui speak, maybe it was. Legolas stood still and kept listening.

* * *

Sui: "_I do not stand while the enemy mocks me, while he attacks me! I fight back with everything I have, with even more than I have! Until he dies or kills me. That's how Alkien raised me! That's what he taught me and that's what I believe he taught you too, didn't he?"_

* * *

Upon hearing that, every one hailed for Alkien. Or, for her? Galdor wasn't sure but it was enough to make him curse under his breath. He decided it would be best to leave now, to warn Thranduil of what might happen very soon.

He had to admit, Sui who he had considered an elfling until now, had more guts than most warriors he knew. Also, he had clearly underestimated Albien's cunning. There was no need to be a genius to guess what she was aiming at. And if Albien hadn't already, stopped her, it's that he wanted her to succeed in rallying the others to her cause.

The way Alkien's son had reacted in the throne room made sense to him, now. Albien had only been pushing Sui to her limits by being overly cold, hoping things would come to this. And it was all working out pretty well.

* * *

"_Which is why I am your new Captain._" stated Sui. It was in no way a question, or a proposition, it was a statement. The crowed started, murmuring. "_I will not stand here, while our friends, our families, die in FellSvogee. Time, is running out. And King Thranduil might have welcomed us here, but this is no my home. WE are not home. This is the wood elves' home. We might be well treated, but it doesn't make Eryn Lasgalen our home. We are guests here, and that is all we will ever be. This, is NOT our home!" _

* * *

Albien strengthened his grip on Legolas's arm without knowing it. He could still stop his sister now if he wanted to. And perhaps he _should_ stop her.

He had expected her to shake everyone out of their comfort and scare the wood elves into giving them some territory by inspiring talks about a revolution, not to make the Kinn-laï want to leave these woods...

Hadn't every one been so absorbed by her speech, he would have definitely stopped her.

Still, by doing this, Sui was unknowingly giving him a way out of being Captain. But could she handle that role? And was it worth giving up the title if she might very well just be leading him, and the other Kinn-laï, to their deaths if they agreed to what she was going to ask of them?

He didn't know what to do any more.

* * *

The prince too was too absorbed by the elleth's speech to notice Albien's grip on him. Sui was glowing. The words came to her naturally and she had so much charisma that even those who didn't seem to agree with her, _– yet?–_ didn't dare interrupt her. She was very much like Alkien at the moment.

* * *

Sui: "_We need to find a place of our own. We need to find it now! We can't waste any more time here, waiting for either the wood elves to take us, or the Hwenti to kill us. We need to act. No, we HAVE to act. We have to do it for ourselves, we have to do it for our friends, for our families, for Alkien..." _She paused. Every one was silent. She grinned again. "_And if none of the previously mentioned reasons are good enough for you then do it for the honour, do it for the renown. Follow me to war against the Hwenti and become tomorrow's legends!"_

The crowd was speechless.

Still looking determined she added:_"If I am to die, I intend on deserving it. I'd rather die young and stupid but kicking with all I have, than old and and wise but full of regrets._" Then she executed the Avari salute, with both hands, waiting for their reaction.

No one moved. No one dared to move. No one seemed to know what to do. Some obviously thought she was right but were afraid to admit it. After all, she might have matured, but she was not even 300 years old yet.

Others seemed to feel as though she was insulting them and she could understand why. She was asking them bluntly to follow her to war when no one, but herself, had appointed her Captain. Besides, she knew nothing about open war apart from the stories she was told. The only one she had lived through, she hadn't participated in.

* * *

Albien walked past her, to stand right in front of her, showing his back to all the other Avari. He was almost three time as tall and twice as wide as his sister. From behind him, no one could even see the elleth any more.

He looked at her in the eyes, with his usual unreadable face. She stared right back at him. She didn't flinch a second in front of his intense gaze, she was showing no regrets towards any of what she had just said. Albien grinned. No one but the elders and the wood elves could see him grin since they were the only ones standing behind Sui, facing him. They were at loss of words. And when he hit his chest with both his fists and knelt in front of her, their eyes almost fell off their faces.

"_ _I, Albien, son of Alkien Esra and Dèana Mell, the Iron Soldiers, gladly offer you my services._" Everyone turned into rocks. No one talked. No one moved. No one even breathed any more so they shocked. "_By the strength of my soul, may the iron in my blood helps forging the sword of your victory, and all those to come," _he raised his head to look at her _"Captain Ly-vaïa."_

People expected him to stand back up, and take it all back. But Albbien stayed on his knee. He was serious about this, and hoped others would follow him in this.

Mhéléane foughts against the crowd to come up front, followed by Mhélir who was really just trying to stop her. But being wider, he had more trouble making his way between people and only arrived in front of the crowd in time to see his sister kneel and pledge allegiance to Sui, just like Albien had done.

He sighed, looked at Sui from his high height. '_After all, why not?'_ It was more than risky but she wasn't wrong. If they did nothing they would either die crushed or wander on unknown lands until they died anyway. It's not like they had many choices to begin with. All they could do was pretty much pick the most honourable death between the ones in front of them. He hit his chest with his fist, knelt and pledged his allegiance to his young friend.

'_Captain Ly-Vaïa_'...It didn't sound so bad. And if someone could lead them through crazy, it was her. After all, she was the craziest out of them all!

Another Avari came to the front and knelt. And another. Then two others. Then three. Then About ten others. Even Nalfehn, the elfling knelt. Until less than twenty Avari were left standing.

* * *

"_ She did it..." told Legolas to himself, amazed. His whole body was trembling. He wasn't sure if he wanted to congratulate her or throw her in a cell before she could inspire them to do anything else. She planed on starting a war, against the Hwenti. Why? To prove that Alkien might not be dead? To rush out of the realm?He hadn't grasped the meaning of everything she had said but her reasons to go to war weren't good enough to him.

He knew what had happened inside the throne room, Galdor had told him all about it, omitting no details. Sui had been driven away by rage and had had a most 'uncalled for outburst of fury'. She probably was just still mad. So mad she had decided to take it upon herself to ruin many lives without even realising it. That's what was happening. That's what Legolas was witnessing.

* * *

"__ If we loose the war"_, started one of the unconvinced Avari, "_when they ask us to submit, would you be able to avoid us the shame?" _

"__ You mean kill you?"_She asked. He nodded. _"I will, if that is what you wish. But I am confident that we will either win or die fighting. No one will be made a slave, there will be no place for shame."_

Him and the others exchanged worried looks. But what were they to do? Stand there and watch while all the others fought? No. Like she said a few minutes ago, they were Avari, they had to fight. They knelt.

"__ I accept your pledges."_she said._ "By the strength of my soul, and the blade of my sword, may the victory be ours as a people, as one." _she told them. And that was it. Unless the Regent herself took her title away, or she dies, Sui was their Captain. She was not appointed, she was elected.

Every one stood simultaneously, and the crowd started dissipating itself as if nothing had happened. Not caring who he was pushing away to reach the elleth, Legolas gained himself a few glares.

"_ You can't go to war!" he exclaimed as he approached her. Mhélir and another Avari stood in front of Sui, as if to protect her from him. She told them something in Avari and both of them stepped to aside to let her come though, with Albien at her side.

"_ Prince," she started. Legolas stiffened at the appellation. 'Prince'?Was being so formal necessary? "If I don't take orders from your father, I certainly won't take them from you."

She sounded nice enough for him not to get offended. Still he had to stop this nonsense. Sui could fight, yes, defend herself, sure, against one person or two, but not against the five or six fully trained warriors who will be trying to gut her if she went to war. Plus, he could always talk to his father for them, try to make him change his mind about the Avari. He just needed some time. More time. Knowing very well she was too stubborn to be dealt with, he turned to Albien.

"_ Albien, please, tell her!" he begged. "Do something, you're the captain!"

The few Avari still standing around threw hostile glares at the prince. Albien just looked at Sui for a second, then shrugged.

"_ My father named me Captain. He is dead, now." he said, as calm as his sister was. "They chose her as Captain. I choose her as Captain. We will follow her to war if this is what she judges best for us."

"_ This is ridiculous..." let escaped the silvan. How could Albien agree with that? How could she have changed his mind so quickly? Yes, her speech was touching, and well done, but going to war was still madness! How could they even think about doing that? They were trainees amongst them and the Hwenti probably only came with averted soldiers. How would that not turn out into a massacre?

"_ Are you calling me a joke?" asked the elleth, on the defensive. What gave him the right to oppose their choice? He knew nothing of their situation.

"_ No, I am not calling you a joke, I am calling all of this a mistake!" he exclaimed, refusing to accept what was going on. He looked at everyone around them "How is a 300 years old elleth going to lead you through a war?!" he asked them all. "This is insane. Doesn't anybody here realise that?" Every one glared at him more intensely. Did he really think they were stupid? Didn't he understand and did not exactly have a choice? No one else but the elleth wanted to take the blame and the responsibility or the shame in case they all died for nothing therefore condemning those in FellSvogee too, but someone had to do it. If she volunteered, then why not let her live with it, and give her the respect she deserved for being braver.

Sui was now furious, she felt insulted, she felt like Legolas was insulting her people. She took her knives out. She couldn't let him go with away with that.

"_ You have spit on my people." she said as she took a step closer towards him. "Duel against me so I may spit on your honour too."

"_ I won't fight against you!" he jerked. "You are half my size, and you might move faster than I do, but that won't help you win against me." he told her. He had no intention to unnerve her more, but that is exactly what his poor choice of argument did.

"_ Are you calling me weak?" she asked as she started circling him like a predator. "Are you insulting me again?"

"_ NO, I am not!" he yelled. Anger was slowly climbing up his body. "I am just pointing out that I have more experience at fighting than you do and..." he hesitated. "I do not wish to hurt you under any circumstances." he added.

Every one seemed to have lost reason. The Avari formed a circle around them and were shouting unison _"Fight her! fight her! fight her!_" Every where he turned, some one was telling him to fight her, and pushing him towards her, who seemed to be enjoying to see him being disoriented by the chaos. She hadn't let go of her knives and was ready to attack. She was only waiting for him to agree to the duel, like it was the custom.

He took a deep breath and pushed his way out of the crowd. If he fought her, he would win. It would discredit her as a Captain, make the Avari doubt her, and make him the most hated wood elf around. And who knows, they might even revolt against Thranduil, if he won, since they didn't seem able to make any coherent decision any more.

He could hear his name being mocked by the dark elves for being a 'coward' until he reached the castle.

* * *

**Jesus! Writing this chapter was so hard Too many people thing at the same time!What was I thinking creating so many characters!**


	34. Chapter 31 Kicking the Potato

**Chapter 31 : Kicking the Potato**

After hearing the news, Elrohir couldn't help but run to the Avari camp. It had always been clean but right now it had reached a new level of cleanliness. In fact, it was so clean and quiet that if there were no fires inside the tents, one would never suspect any one lived here.

Clearly no one was celebrating the new Captain. Not that they didn't appreciate her, just that they were mourning Albien.

Unnoticed, he slipped inside Sui's tent. As expected, she wasn't there. She was probably working on her next move as Captain with Albien's help in Alkien's big tent. He decided to lay down and wait for her.

When she arrived near her tent and saw there was a light inside, Sui wasn't sure who she would find inside. Seeing the elder twin on her bed, was a relief. She didn't exactly wished to see Legolas at the moment. Nor any time soon for that matter after what had happened earlier. Did it mean they were over? Maybe. Probably. She wasn't sure. But she couldn't afford to think about it now that she would soon be leading a war.

"_ What are you doing here?" she asked him as she started to remove her armour. It was heavier than it had ever been before. Ans so was her head. Albien and the elder had set to teach her all they knew about war in a few days, what was impossible.

"_ What does it look like I am doing here?! I'm here to talk to you of course, _Captain Ly-Vaïa_." he cooed, smirking.

It made Sui smile. At least, one person in this realm wasn't on the edge nor worried about nothing.

"_ Flirting with me will bring you nowhere." she answered as she sat near him. "But you may call me Captain again. I like the sound of it." She chuckled. _'Captain Ly-Vaïa'_. If only someone could have told her that would happen one day. A few months ago she wasn't even allowed to wear weapons to walk around and now she was Captain. How ridiculous.

"_ So, _Captain,_ I heard about a languorous kiss that made lots of jealous shortly after your taking over tonight." Sui snarled at the mention of the kiss, then laid back, resting her head on the ellon's stomach. He laughed a little remembering something. "Elladan and I had to restrain Legolas so that he wouldn't come after Mhélir!"

"_ Do wood elves ever do anything else than gossip?" she asked, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"_ Well, in this realm, they also spend a lot of time combing their hair and making dwarves jokes." replied the Elrohir, amused. Eryn Lasgalen's elves were known to be more dangerous and less wise than the other elves. He personally thought of them as dangerous only because not wise at all. Every one here spent their time partying and drinking wine, while in other realms, they learned the arts of poetry and studied the world. "So he did kiss you? And you kissed him back?"

"__ Aye, it _happened. But I didn't kiss him back!" She sighed. "And it was nothing romantic. It was just a 'congratulation kiss' that happened in the middle of the excitation. _It was a friendly gesture._" She smiled guiltily.

"_ Oh, you don't have to justify yourself to me." he said. If the ellon was judging her, he was extremely good at hiding it." I am merely just curious about why the other Avari didn't seem too happy about it."

"_ I might be over the sexual majority but since I am not 300 years old yet, being involved with an ellon so much older than I am is not exactly widely well seen." she started. "Nor even accepted by some for that matter." She paused. " I think they are afraid youngsters could be manipulated into doing things they could regret doing."

"_ Avari are very open and incredibly stuck up at the same time!" he laughed. "If only they knew how old Legolas was..." he laughed some more.

"_ Just how old is Legolas?" she asked. He didn't look as old as Elrohir made it sound. He looked younger than the twins and Olion. And definitely younger than Mhélir. But then again, guessing wood elves age was something she found extremely difficult. Almost as hard as guessing their sex. Was that person a he? or a she? She was only right half of the time.

"_ You should ask him." said Elrohir. Sui snarled. " We have changed our minds, Elladan and I. Maybe you should stay with him, you know." She sat. He sat too so he could look at her. " Look at how far you have pushed each other? Thanks to you, he is the council, and thanks to him, you are now able to see further away than your own nose. And that is part of why you found the courage to stand in front of every one today. Don't you agree?"

She stood up and picked her armour up to leave. She seemingly had no intention to answer him. Still, he could see what he had just told her had given her plenty to think about.

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"I will tell your father about your confrontation with their new Captain." Galdor told him "Meanwhile, you should go take a warm bath to cool down. It will make you feel better." he added making sound like a order.

So Legolas asked for a hot bath to be prepared in his bathroom. He plunged in it and waited for its magic to happen. But nothing happened. It didn't make him feel any better. It didn't change anything at all. Legolas still wanted to rip Mhélir's green eyes off his pretty dark elf face and still needed to come up with something – _anything,_ to make Sui understand that war was never the clever answer to anything.

He grabbed a flacon of shampoo and angrily shook it so that the liquid inside would come out of it faster. Except the bottle was dry empty and absolutely nothing came out of it. Feeling betrayed by his shampoo, he threw it on the other side of the room, towards the entrance, where it was stopped by a black leather boot with golden flowers drawn on the side.

"_ Idiot!" Thranduil spat. " You should know by now that refusing a duel to an Avari is both insulting him and what he fights for." he added. He was furious, yet he was not yelling. " I do not care that she is your friend. I don't care that she is their Captain. I want you to get dressed and give that brat a good beating!"

"_ I am not hitting an efling half my size." jerked the prince.

"_ Eflings don't start wars. And she had already matured, so she is not be considered a child." he said as picked the empty bottle up. " Besides, she might not be strong, but she fights smartly. She is in no way inoffensive." He smelled it and decided that Legolas should no longer use a shampoo that smelled like jasmine and daisies. Something with basil and freesia would suit him better.

"_ I can lift her as easily as I can lift a bag of potatoes. I won't-"

"_ Potatoes don't kick back." interrupted the king. " She, will." He put the empty bottle in his pocket, so that he could get himself this exact shampoo later. "I do not encourage violence against weaker elves. But by fighting her, if I am not wrong, you recognise her value as a warrior, and that is a sign of respect. I want the Avari to know that we respect their choice. And their Captain, despite the fact that it is an elleth who knows nothing of the world." Thransuil looked at his son. Legolas's brows were both furrowed and seemed to be even angrier than usual.

"_ You actually want them to face the Hwenti, don't you?"

"_ Of course I do. Their presence attracted them here, it is only fair they get us rid of them." explained the king.

"_ You will be sending them to their deaths!" shouted the prince.

"_ They CHOSE to head to their deaths!" jerked back the sovereign. " I offered them to stay until the Hwenti were no longer a problem, but it seems they rather made the Hwenti their problem. And we shall let them." He started to head for the door. " Give Alkien's daughter my congratulations for her being Captaing once you have won the duel against her."

Every one wanted him to fight her. FINE. He'll do it. He'll fucking do it so that Avari, his father and their misplaced pride leave him alone. And maybe, if he could beat her hard enough, she wouldn't be able to go war. Sui wouldn't be happy, but she would be live at least. She would hate him for it, so he wouldn't be happy. His father wouldn't be happy. No one would be happy. Why was everyone working so hard to make every one else unhappy? He wasn't asking for the Hwenti, the Kinn-laï and his father to sit at a table and share the green tea of friendship together for god's sake! He just wanted them to stop using one another to achieve their goals, and to find a peaceful compromise.

He got dressed and stormed out of the room. If Sui was as bitter as he was about everything that had happened, there was only one place where she could be: the armoury.

Sui decided she had practised enough for tonight. Albien was a great teacher, and he let her know how much she progressed every time they trained together. He had left a few seconds ago to tend his wounds, they were superficial but he didn't want to risk them to be infected, and had asked her to clean the training weapons and put them back where they belonged while he was away.

She heard the door open and cursed when she saw Legolas. He was stomping towards her in a menacing way

"_ I accept your duel." he said, irritated. " Use whatever weapons you would like." he added before charging her.

She avoided his fist at the last moment, dropping the wooden swords she had been holding. _'Perfect'_ she thought ironically. Now, she was unarmed and he had two short swords in his back.

Fully aware that the elleth would be able to avoid his first blow, Legolas didn't put much strength in it. He had only wanted to know about how much faster than him she was, so that he could adapt. She was slightly slower than he had expected. It wouldn't be that hard to corner her in the end. Plus, the surprise attack made her drop the only weapons she seemed to be carrying, and she wore no armour for once. Maybe this was all more than a little unfair. He wasn't wearing an armour either but had a lot more experience than she did in this field and he had weapons.

He was about to drop his offensive position and tell her to grab her weapon but with her right arm she pushed his menacing arm up, and by reflex, he tried pushing it back down to hook her arm. While he was distracted trapping her arm, with her other hand Sui ceased one of his swords then used the hard of its handle to hit the prince hard where his scapula slot in.

The brisk pain made him release her immediately and turn to face her. His father was right: she fought smartly. She was fully conscious of her weaknesses and seemed to have learned which part of one's body to hit in order to inflict damages and pain, to compensate her lack of physical strength. But it would only help her make the fight last a few seconds longer.

She charged. He was expecting it. Though she wasn't holding the sword conventionally she held the sword by the handle so that the blade would be pointed behind, and not forward. It looked like she was going to attack with the handle instead. He was prepared to stop it with a hand, but she rotated at the last moment, gaining speed, to attack with the blade. He blocked with his sword and instead of pushing her back he grabbed her wrist and hold it painfully tight so that she would let the sword fell. But she wouldn't let go of the weapon despite his iron grip, because she didn't feel the pain it was supposed to cause. Taking advantage of the fact that both of Legolas's hands were full so he could hardly defend himself, Sui kicked him in the ribs violently enough for cracking sound to be heard. He cringed and let go of her wrist. His hand had left an ugly violet bruise, and it was probably twisted for it had swollen.

Using the weapon in her hand, Sui swung at Legolas without giving him enough time to recover from her last blow. She had expected him to get defensive. However, furious that she had broken at least of two his ribs he had decided to attack, and gave her a kick, strong enough to push her back, but not so strong it would truly hurt her. She lost her balance and fell back. He hurried to immobilise her on the floor.

She started gesticulating in all direction and managed to punch him twice. What unnerved him and made him punch her one, hard enough for her to be disoriented, giving him the time trap her arms under his knees.

"_ It's over. I won." he said. He considered this in no way a victory. She kept moving, trying to get free.

"_ A _free duel_ is only over when someone gives up or die." she jerked.

"_ Then give up." he ordered.

"__ Never!"_she shouted, as she kneed his back. He arched his back a little a little and snarled but didn't move at all.

"_ Alright then have it your way!" he told her coldly, then sat on the side, freeing her. He grabbed her hand and put his sword in it, pointing the blade at his throat. " If you want to win so badly, then go ahead. Kill me." He looked dead serious.

She blinked. The prince acting like a hero unnerved her. She tightened her grip around the weapon's handle and looked at how close to cutting his throat open it was. Really close. It just needed a little push and the carotid would start bleeding senseless. Disgusted, she threw the sword away.

"_ Happy?" she said frowning.

"_ Are you joking?!" he exclaimed. "Do you really think I enjoyed hitting you? If your culture didn't imply being barbaric to show 'r_espect_' to others, this, wouldn't have happened."

"_ If you are trying to apologise, you are doing it wrong." she warned.

"_ I am not trying to apologise for anything." he answered. She tried to stand but she prevented her from doing so. "No one is happier about you being Captain, than me. And I didn't have to fight you to know you could defend yourself."

"_ Then why-"

"_ Because you are too stubborn to see that I am not trying to clip your wings, or insult you or whatever else you think I am trying to do." he told her. "All I want is to keep you alive! And letting you take your people to war... it doesn't have to be. "

"_ Oh then tell me!" she yelled. "Tell me, what should I do then? If we, who are out of FellSvogee, don't find another place for us to live then we condemn every one to die buried back there. And to be honest, dying buried doesn't sound much better than dying fighting." she offered, her voice void of emotion.

"_ What happened to living here?!"

"_ Your father won't let us live here!" she exclaimed. "And even if he did..." she sighed. "Greenwood the great, is not a home for us. It' s a refuge. A constant reminder that we don't belong to the outside world!" she paused. "We need a place of our own to start over. And we don't have enough time to wait for your father to decide to attack the Hwenti." She bit her lips. "Besides, they are **our** enemies, not yours." He had heard that before...He wondered why his father didn't appreciate her more, they had so much in common."And even if we could let them be this time, and move out, we would only be delaying the war, because to get the other Kinn-laï out of FellSvogee, we **will** have to get past them first. Don't you think I thought it over and over, looking for another solution? A safe way out?"

"_ If you told my father you were out of time to-"

"_ No." She sighed again. She smiled a little, touched by the fact that he was trying to help. " Your father can't know about this. Your people and mine might have lived peacefully so far, but how do we know we can trust you? How do you know you can trust us? If we haven't told you everything about us, it is so that you won't be tempted to respond hostilely to us, to attack in the dark." she explained. She omitted to say that no one even knew what the Kiin-laï's Regent had planed for the wood elves, even in the case they had granted them some territory. "And **no one** can know I told you this._ I just broke an oath of secrecy.._." She was a little bit angry for having said that without thinking.

Legolas could find nothing to answer. Maybe he had been wrong. The war couldn't be avoided, nor could it be delayed, if people were dying. All he could do to help, was to try to convince his father to help them, to supply their improvised army with food and soldiers. But there was no guarantee his father wouldn't use his own army to push both Hwenti and Kinn-laï out of his lands so that the war wouldn't damage his forest.

"_ So what happens next?" he asked.

"_ We will be finished packing and planning the war tomorrow, or the day after...then.." She looked at her knees. "Then we'll leave.."

"_ No I meant, us, what happens to us when you leave?" he said, raising her chin for her to look at him.

"_ I don't even know where we stand now!" she exclaimed, laughing a little. "So don't ask me where we'll be then!"

"_ We both know where **I** stand." he said determined before meeting her lips with his. Unfortunately, the kiss was very brief for as soon as their lips touched, the armoury's wooden doors opened wide, revealing Albien, Nellil and Mhélir.

No one made a sound nor moved. The silence was embarrassing and most uncomfortable.

Legolas thought about trying to explain things, but the situation explained itself on its own: Him and Sui had fought and were now kissing. Or would have been kissing if they had not been interrupted.

Seeing the scene, Albien thought he would have been less angry since he had expected something like that to happened at some point. Nellil thought about running to her room, but her legs would not move. And Mhélir couldn't think at all.

"__ Well,_" started Sui as she stood up. _" This isn't awkward at all." _

"__ You-" _started Mhélir.

"__ Dueled."_ she cut._ "Then obviously we stopped fighting."_

Regaining control over her body, Nellil ran off. Legolas stood as fast as he could, holding his painful side, to run after her.

When he was near enough, Albien, caught his arm firmly.

"_ Every wound Sui has, I will give you double." he threatened, looking at the silvan right in the eyes.

"_ She took care of that herself." replied the prince, dryly, before trying to free his arm and walking away, but Albien wouldn't let go. Legolas had grown tired of Albien's over-protectiveness. The tension between the two ellyn built up as they glared at each other, until Sui put a hand on her brother's arm, asking him to release the prince. He complied not so willingly, and Legolas left.

"_ _How long?_" asked Mhélir.

"__ It started the night of the coming of age._" she said. " _Then it's been on and off constantly_."

The green eyed Avari bit his tongue to make sure he wasn't dreaming. It hurt a little. This was all truly happening. He wasn't sure what he disliked most in all this: that Sui was seeing a wood elf? That that wood elf was **Legolas**? That she kept it secret from him for so long although they were friends, and really close ones at that?

He coked his head to the side, thinking. Then armed his fist and punched her in the stomach. The contact being uncomfortable she groaned.

"__ I expected that one."_ She inhaled deeply as she tapped her belly as if to check her stomach was still in place. _"Now that we're even, let's get cold ales before going back to work."_she added as she headed outside.

Mhélir and Albien glanced at each other. Albien shook his head and Mhélir answered by rolling his eyes then followed the elleth outside. They had confirmed to each other like that, that neither of them approved of what they had just witnessed.

"__ Are we going to talk about this?" _asked Albien, not sure he wanted to join yet. He did need some ale, but to forget the shock, not to have a conversation resolving around the _incident,_or what he was trying to convince himself was an incident.

"_ _No. Definitely not._" she answered.

"__ Good then." _He caught up with her and Mhélir.


	35. Chapter 32: Upsetting Daddy

**Chapter 32: Upsetting Daddy**

"_ Do you remember who I am?" asked Unel, who had invited herself at Sui's table. Sui gave her a quick glance, and an annoyed look as she finished her pint. The green eyed ellon sitting in front of her, gave a suggestive look to the other ellon, who rolled his eyes and uninterested, went back to his food. Unel decided that the one with dark eyes must have been Sui's brother, for both of them were the only two who had ever ignored her beauty so completely.

"_ The clingy nurse." said Sui, once she had swallowed all of the dark liquid. Her cheeks were red and blue and swollen, noticed Unel. The Avari must have been involved in a fight recently, she concluded. The nurse in her wanted to scold the younger elleth for not having applied anything on the bruises. It was too late now, it would surely turn into an ugly black-violet colour during the night.

"_ Oh, don't be bitter with me." she answered as if already tired of this talk. "I'm here to help. You should keep your stormy 'mood' for someone else." As she said that, she removed the bracelet she was wearing on her wrist, and let it hang there, in front of Sui's eyes.

"_ A silver bracelet. How nice..." Sui said unimpressed. Without giving a second glance to the shiny item, she motioned for a maid to come around.

Mhélir was staring at both the elleth, quite entertained by their 'fight', if he could call it so. Only females could built so much tension around a table without jumping on each other. He wondered how long they would be able to resist though; Unel seemed to have a character every bit as bad as Sui. No wonder why they didn't seem to like each other.

"_ Don't you recognise it?" insisted Unel, as she forced the bracelet in Sui's hand. Sui was about to throw the jewel away, somewhere in the room, wandering why wood elves wanted to give her silver bracelets. Then something clicked in her mind. She stared at the bracelet. Then looked at Unel. She stood up and grabbed Unel's arm, not too harshly, but firmly enough to make the nurse uncomfortable, and dragged her out of the tavern.

"_ Legolas gave you a bracelet meant for me, so what? What of it?What do you want?" barked the Avari. The night was getting worst every second that passed it seemed. She gave the bracelet back.

"_ You see, I thought I still had a chance with him until he forgot about me a few days ago." she started as she looked at the bracelet laying in her palm. It truly was a piece of art. Thin, as light as a feather and shining like a star. She let it fall to the ground caring for it no more.

Sui cringed at 'a few days ago'. Unel noticed. "I take it you didn't know, I was still in the run." she said, not bothering to fake surprise. "I am sure he is also persistent in courting you, says he loves you all the time, looks into your eyes before he kisses you...doesn't he?" she asked, smiling a little bit, as she remembered the prince's little attentions towards her. Sui's face darkened. "He is a romantic that one." Unel added as she nodded to herself. "Everything he has told you, he has told me before. Yet, the wedding still stands." The green eyed exhaled profoundly. "Don't waste your time on him like I wasted mine. Nothing will come out of it." She finished. She studied Sui who hadn't said a word and stood there patiently, face completely closed. Unreadable. " Aren't you going to say something?"

Sui shrugged. There was plenty she wanted to say, but not to the nurse, to the prince. Actually, she didn't want to say anything, she wanted to crush his pretty skull between her hands.

"_ Did you love him back?" she asked Unel. The question startled the older elleth a little.

"_ With all of my heart. But I am strong, I have moved on. "

"_ Thank you for telling me the truth." answered the Avari. Unel squinted an eye. She had expected a lot of screaming and some scratching. "I owe you, I won't forget." finished Sui, before nodding as a sign of respect and walking away.

Unel decided she wanted a cool ale. _'I have moved on'_, she remembered her own words wondering where they came from.

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Nellil sat in a couch she had moved in front of her locked door to stare at it. Somehow, staring at the door made her feel like it had less chances of cracking open under Legolas's strong knocking. The gouvernantes had tried to tell him away, but he commanded them to leave and not come back until he asked them too. She was all alone against him, now. And the door between them wasn't enough to separate them she though, as she wiped off the tears falling from her eyes.

The princess wasn't even sure why she was still crying. She was convinced she was wasting her time. Crying didn't change the facts. And the facts were that she was trapped in a marriage to be, with someone, she had just realised, she didn't know. Her whole life, she was told that she was a very lucky elleth, for having been betrothed to prince Legolas, and she had dared think it was true. She was told he was brave, and he was. She was told he was kind, and he was. She was told he was caring, and he was. She was told he was patient, and he tried hard to be. She was told he would love her, and marry her, and make beautiful children with her, and that they would have a perfect life. Until now, the thought of all this had both frightened and excited her. Now it all made her want to scream. Where was the perfect life she was promised? Where did the kind and caring prince go?

She wanted to blame Legolas for what had happened. But a small voice in her head, told her it was her fault and it made her cry some more. Maybe he had loved her at some point, but somehow, she had ruined it all. Maybe he was truly perfect, and she was not good enough for him. After all, she was ignorant, weak, needy, helpless. How could she blame him for her not being good enough? Perhaps, if she had been different, beautiful and gracious like Unel, or strong and daring like Sui, Legolas wouldn't have turned from her. She buried her face in a pillow so that he wouldn't hear her cry.

SHTONG! A loud noise was heard.

Neill turned too look towards the window. Sui was in front of it, inside. She seemed to have climbed into the room through it. She was panting a little.

Nellil bit her lips. She wasn't sure what reaction she should have. She felt betrayed by the avari, for some reason, but Sui owed her nothing, she thought. They weren't friends. Still, something told her she should be angry at the dark elf.

Nellil threw the pillow at Sui as hard as she could. The dark elf grabbed it with no difficulty and raised a brow. Nellil pouted, and Sui sighed heavily.

"_ I know, I shouldn't be here." started the Avari. " And I know it won't be of any consolation, but I have come to apologise about what I have done." Sui sighed again. "I am truly sorry."

Nellil cocked her head and examined the other elleth. The avari was looking around the room with discomfort. She didn't want to be here, it was apparent. Yet, she had come. And she had been more persistent than Legolas too, climbing through a high perched window to see her. Why didn't he think of that? She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about the prince banging at the door.

"_ It's not your fault." whispered the princess. "If I had-"

"__ No._" interrupted the Sui, frowning and shaking her head. " There is nothing you could have done. You are the one we have all wronged."

"_ All?" repeated the princess, not sure if Sui had mistranslated what she meant. She usually never made mistakes.

"_ Let Legolas come in and explain." she said, making it sound like a request. "Ask him the truth. All the truth." Sui sounded dead serious and although she she didn't look furious, something about her right gave the chill to the princess. The blond elleth shivered a little, feeling as though the room had grown colder. " Ask him about the avari promise he has broken." added Sui before crossing the room, heading for the door.

Nellil wasn't ready to face Legolas, yet she didn't stop the Avari. She sat and watched, quiet, as Sui unlocked the door and opened it. Legolas was out of breath from all the knocking and startled to see Sui inside. He had wanted to say something but Sui just walked past him, pretending he was a ghost, ignoring him gloriously, without giving him as little as a glance.

Nellil wanted to protest and ask her to stay, but didn't dare. And neither did Legolas. He was puzzled and grimacing, watching the Avari walk away. Nellil understood there must be some sort of problem between the two of them. A tiny part of her enjoyed knowing it. It told her they deserved it. And she felt awful for thinking that.

He brought his attention to Nellil. Their eyes met. They were the exact same shade of blue. Even the fear in them was identical. It reassured Nellil to know he was as uncomfortable as she was.

"_ Tell me about the avari promise between you and Sui." she demanded, looking braver than she was.

Legolas went pale.

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Never in his his life before had the prince felt so frustrated. He had thought that once the truth would be out, he would feel relived, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. Instead, he felt worse. He was angry at Unel for having ruined everything before he was ready to deal with it. Nellil said she would forgive him, with time. Because 'feelings can't be helped', she said as she cried. It had been really hard for him not to cry either at that moment. If there was one person he wanted to protect, it was her. Yet, he had failed at that.

Sui?...He played in his head the moment when she passed him the night before over and over. He had to admit, he was afraid to talk to her after that. So afraid, than asking his father to cancel his betrothal and give the Kinn-laï a few elves didn't seem so hard any more.

Yet again, he had underestimated Thranduil. They had been talking about the matter for quite sometime now, and every argument given had bounced on his father to come back and slap him in the face.

"_ You having a 'crush' on an Avari is no reason to send my elves to be butchered!" shouted Thranduil, annoyed. He was growing tired of this talk. He had known about Unel. And the ones after. He had been proud when Legolas had stopped fooling around, to focus on Nellil, alone. But it seemed bad habits died hard.

"_ No, I-"

"_ You'll like another in few years." interrupted the King, rolling his eyes. This discussion reminded him of an unpleasant one he had had with his father when he was the prince. He didn't like being on the father side right now, because he knew exactly how Legolas felt. Like him at his age, he was convinced he was in love every time he saw a pretty face. And had asked every single one of these pretty faces to marry hm. Thankfully, his father had had the last word every time and prevented him from joining souls to the first ellith who had smiled at him. "You'll get over this one just like you got over the others." he promised.

"_ No, I don't think you understand," shouted Legolas. "I found stars on her body!" he said. "Stars!" he repeated. "And since then, those in the sky don't seem so bright any more."

Thranduil frowned, not sure what bothered him more between his son's stubbornness and his last sentence. He thought it was a distasteful attempt at poetry.

"_ You have your father's sense of drama." laughed Galdor, who had been silent until then.

"_ I can do better than that." protested the King, offended. He turned back to his son. "Couldn't you have, at least, chosen one that I could consider competition to Lady Nellil?" asked Thranduil, thinking Legolas lacked credibility. "I mean, I went to the other side of this earth to find you a wife as pretty as a summer flower. It wasn't easy. And now you are asking me to believe that instead of the sweetest elleth alive, you wish to be with an Avari with shorter hair than yours?" Legolas didn't like the way it was put together but nodded anyway. "Daddy is officially upset!" shouted the king as he jerked his head back. Galdor laughed again.

"_ Can't either one of you be serious right now?" asked the prince, irritated, not ready to let it go yet. His father sat straight again, and put his sovereign face on.

"_ You can't take my army to a war that isn't ours." he said.

"_ That war isn't happening around our borders, it's happening in our realm!" snapped back the prince. "It makes it our war as much as theirs." he added, lowering his voice.

"_ If it were," started Thranduil as he crossed his long legs. " The Hwenti would have launched an attack on us instead of waiting for the Kinn-laï to come out."

"_ Aren't the Kinn-laï our allies? Shouldn't we help them?" he offered in a desperate attempt.

"_ Because they aren't enemies does not make them allies, Legolas." the king had raised his voice. He sighed. " They want our lands, son. What means, they might turn against us eventually. And I will not help them conquer my realm."

Legolas found no words to answer. Even Sui had said that the wood elves had no reason to trust the Avari. He glared at his father for a few seconds, then left abruptly. Thranduil watched him leave.

"_ The small Avari exceeds my expectations every day." the sovereign told himself, exhaling. " Just when I think there is no more she can do to get to me, she finds a new way." he complained, angry.

"_ Is your only concern of the moment truly who your son likes?!" asked Galdor, unsure he wanted to hear the answer. They did have more important things to deal with. Such has prepare for the war about the start on their territory.

"_ How could we have missed it?" replied the king, ignoring his friend. Galdor sighed. Of course, Legolas was always the first thing on Thranduil's list. Nothing mattered more to the king than his darling son. He wanted the best for him. Which is why he had personally searched for a match for him. He always complained about how hard it had been to find an elleth good enough for his son. Though, Galdor knew, the king had enjoyed every second of every tea parties he had attended in order to 'interview' high born she-elves.

"_ Is she truly so bad of an elf?" asked Galdor, not bothered by the thought of Sui and Legolas together. Actually, the 'revelation' wasn't much of a surprise to him. Or maybe it was just that he didn't care enough about the prince's love life..." Look at what they have accomplished with each other's help." Thranduil pouted, but listened anyway. "He needed ambition and strength to act, and she gave it to him. She needed to become less selfish and to open up, and he helped her with that." he explained. "Now she is Captain and he sits the council."

"_ Now there is a war in my realm and my son wants to break his betrothal." corrected the king, still pouting. " Why, I am thrilled, they've helped each other go so far." he added sarcastically, eyes open wide, staring at Galdor.

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The Avari Captain, Mhélir, her vice captain (who she had chosen after Albien had declined the offer) and some elders and good tacticians, were all standing over a map of the Woodland Real. All were agitated, and none agreed with the others. They all shook their hands angrily and moved the puns the others placed, to other places they judged better.

Nalfhen, came in the tent and stood there unnoticed for ten minutes, before daring to raise his voice so that he would be given some attention.

"__ Prince Legolas requests an audience with you, Captain."_ he said, shyly looking at Sui who had both brows already frowned. Her face distorted itself as she snorted. Nelfehn bit his lips hopping she wouldn't get angry at him. Albien and Mhélir stared at her with wondering eyes but dared say nothing in front of the other Avari.

"__ He sticks to me like fresh shit to a shoo in summer."_ she cursed. _" Tell him to come back when books set fire to themselves!_" she ordered. The elfling nodded and prepared to leave the tent, but an elder asked him to wait.

"__ You owe him respect, now that he has beaten you, in a fair fight."_ one of the elders reminded her. Every one had heard about the fight in the stables. Mhélir had made sure of. The twisted bastard called it revenge for not having told him about the prince. Thankfully, with the war coming, no one cared much about it. Or at least, they did,'t comment on it when she was around. _"And we are still in his father's realm."_ he pointed out. _"If he wants an audience, it would be wiser to grant him one."_

Sui bit her tongue. This was neither the time nor the place she wanted to have a go at him. But the elder was right. The elders were _always_ right. She looked at him grimacing, hopping he would tell her that she didn't have to talk to the prince _now_, but he didn't. Instead, other elders insisted on her granting him an audience because she owed it him. If only they could agree on a war strategy this easily.

She sighed and motioned for Nalfehn to g get the prince. Legolas came in, and looked around him. He obviously hadn't been expecting to find so many people inside the tent. He seemed lost.

"_ May I speak to you in private?" he asked, staring at all the elves he didn't know. Albien and Mhélir where ignoring him almost as gloriously as Sui had the previous night. But then again, they had never liked him much.

Every one turned to look at their Captain, waiting for her to give an order. She seemed hesitant and her jaw muscles were tense.

"__ Leave us."_ she finally said. Every one gladly took their leave. They had all wanted a little pause, to feed and rest their brains. Only Albien and Mhélir seemed reluctant to leave. "_You too."_ she told them.

Legolas did not dare come closer. She made sure to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible. She made him feel like a stranger venturing in an hostile region. She stood straight, eyes full of disdain and disgust, and the rest of her was face impassible.

She said nothing. Made no sound. Even her breathing was barely perceivable. She didn't hate him. Hating him, would mean caring enough to feel something, even if negative, for him. No. She was past that point. She had decided he was _noth__ing_ any more. Worth less than a dead worm.

"_ I am sorry." he said. And he was.

"_ I am not." shereplied, emotionless.

Legolas shifted. He felt uncomfortable only being in his body. It felt like wearing clothes that didn't fit. Sui just stared at him like she didn't care. Actually, she looked like she was staring at what was behind him, through him. As if he wasn't even here.

"_ I am not sure what to say." he admitted.

"_ Then leave." she replied, as if it was the only thing left to do. His brows furrowed a little, but not with anger, with incomprehension.

"_ I'm not leaving. Not until we have talked it out!" he threw. " I'm not-'"

"_ Fine." she interrupted him. "Sit down, make yourself comfortable," she said almost curtly "_I_ will leave." She started to walk towards the entrance, not far from where he was standing. He moved to stand in her way, determined.

"_ Is that what you plan on doing?" he asked, unsure how he felt. He was angry, annoyed, sad, disappointed, guilty and felt an ugly pinching sensation inside. " Ignore me?" he asked. "Ignore me and go to war?" he asked again. He could feel her eyes pierce through him to look at the tent's exit. "Am I supposed to forget about you then?" he said as he cupped her cheeks with his hands so that she would look at him in the eyes. He almost regretted doing that. There was no warmth in her eyes. It was unsettling. "Pretend our eyes never met," he said looking for some emotion. "Our hands never touched," he took her hands in his. She still didn't react. "...that there was never any magic between us?" he said, with the hint of a smile.

Her eyes darted at him at that.

"_ You don't have to pretend it never happened." she answered as she pulled away, calmly, but with rage at the same time. " You just have to remember that you ruined it." She smiled bitterly. "No enchantment last forever." She walked past him.

He grabbed her arm and kissed her, hopping that would be more convincing of an argument. And he thought it was working for she kissed him back. But there was nothing but hatred in that kiss. When she pulled back, she was grinning even more bitterly. He didn't let go of her just yet.

"_ Will you truly just walk away? Won't you even listen to my reasons?"

She pushed him away.

"_ So you can make me more meaningless promises? So you can lie again?" shed asked calmly. He swallowed hard, thinking he deserved those comments, but not the coldness that came with it.

"_ Then scream at me! Be mad! REACT!" he yelled. Hopping that him getting angry would make her react. Unfortunately it didn't.

"_ There is no reaction to be had." she told him walking past him for the second time. He did not try to stop her this time. Before opening the tent's entrance to leave she turned to him. " Thank you for the lesson though," she said ironically "I will keep to myself, now. And do me a favour, don't show your face in my camp again. Considering that we will leave in three days, it shouldn't too hard to do."

She left.

No. The elleth he had feelings for was never truly in the tent, thought the prince as he looked around.

He could hear the sound of waves brushing against the shore, although the sea was too far away for it to be real. And as much as he wanted to explode with rage at the way Sui had reacted, the only sensation that was slowly filling him was sleepiness.

The room was empty of people, and almost everything had been packed. Only the table was messy. There was a card of the realm on it. He stared at it blankly. The red puns seemed to be the Hwenti and their supposed position: a small group east from them, a large one north and a few scattered around. The black puns where the kinn-laï he guessed. They were less numerous and put on the side of the map. It seemed they hadn't decided what to do with those puns.

After she had taken a few steps away from the tent, Sui stopped. She felt as though there was no air left in her lungs. She felt a little bit dizzy and her legs and hands were shaky. As she stared at her hands, she wondered how she had managed to stand there for so long without trying to rip his eyes off, and was glad she hadn't lost her self control. She thought every word she had told him, yet she felt no satisfaction from them having been said. Before she could ask herself more questions, she felt someone giving her a tap on the back. She turned. Mhélir was there.

The ellon wasn't smiling, but didn't seem worried about her either.

"__ You've been harsh._" he said. "_So harsh even I feel bad for him._" he added.

"_ _He deserved it_." she answered as she regained her composure. "_Why did you stay around here?I ordered you to leave."_

He grinned. She suddenly 'remembered' he was gorgeous. Perfect on every level, she thought. Manly, not too affectionate, generous in bed, strong and respected. She wondered how she could have forgotten that and turned away from him to go to Legolas. She squinted an eye as she realised she still felt more attracted to the wood elf than to Mhélir. She hated herself for it. She wondered if the prince hadn't broken something in her brain, resulting in her incapacity to think coherently when it came to him.

"_ _A vice-captain's job is to know when not to obey._" he told her. "_And since you've been freezing every one's blood in their veins since you came back to the camp last night, I was afraid you would you know...snap." S_he growl, guessing where he was getting at_. "And reproduce the Ombre accident."_

"__Trust me, Ombre's three skinny fingers ending in my stomach was in no way an accident._" she told him. He tried not to laugh.

"__ I know that, but you might not want any one else to find out_." he replied, amused. "_You know the rules, if an unfair fight is denounced, it must be made fair by punishing the one who cheated._"

"__ I know the damn rules!_" she shouted, rolling her eyes. "_And it was a fair fight! A bow is as much a weapon as a knife is._" she told him before dragging him away, to get some food.


	36. Chapter 33: Hugging the king

**Chapater 33 : Hugging the King**

The pinching sensation in Legolas's chest didn't lessen and followed him as he walked out of the tent and across the avari camp.

But midway, he stopped. The sight of a familiar, friendly face drew his attention. He observed Olion, bewildered, as his friend was helping some Avari sharpen blades. He was dressed like one of them: no shirt on, large black pants, dark brown boots and matching gloves open at the end so that the fingers could be free and wouldn't sweat. He had even cut his hair. They were shoulder long now.

"_ What are you doing?" he asked his friend, unsure he wasn't mistaken someone else for Olion.

"_ I'm helping, obviously." answered the lazy elf, grinning. "Look at this sword." He took a sword out of an avari designed scabbard that laid on the floor, near his feet, and held it for Legolas to look at. The blade was large as an avari sword, but thin as a wood elf sword. Its balance seemed perfect and the edges sharper than ever. " They had it made especially for me, after I pledge allegiance to Sui." Legolas blinked several time, trying to process the information. Olion didn't notice and kept talking. "They also gave me one of their armours. They are a lot lighter than I thought they would be."

"_ You did what?!" asked the prince. "Why would you do that? You have already sworn your sword to my father!" he exclaimed.

"_ One oath does not go against the other." replied Olion, shrugging. He was taking the matter too lightly for Legolas' liking. " Both oaths say that, in time of need, I will give my sword. The avari are in need, so they can have my sword. And if your father ever needs it, it will be his. " he added.

Legolas stared at him without saying a word. He would have liked to get angry, or react, but since the talk with Sui he couldn't connect as well with his emotions. And he felt tired. Really tired, both emotionally and physically.

"_ You're joining the war..." murmured the prince, sour. Olion stood up and pulled Legolas in a manly embrace as one would do to comfort a brother.

"_ They are a distant kin, but a kin nonetheless." he said. " If they need my help, I will give it to them."

"_ The hwenti also are a distant kin." replied the blond elf, unconvinced.

"_ A kin that made a pact with orcs, and that have been attacking us. They are no brothers of mine." he answered coldly as he sat back, facing the prince. "Plus, I like being with the Kinn-laï. They are wilder, and more hostile but they stay true to themselves. And no one cares nor judges what you do as long as you respect yourself and others. They know you have your reason and you needn't share them. I like that. It's simple." explained the red head. "If they win the war, I will ask your father permission to leave, and go with them, for a while, I think."

"_ You would leave me too?" asked Legolas, hurt, but calm. Olion scratched the back of his head and looked away for a second.

"_ I plan on coming back, at some point." he offered. "But I take it you have spoken to Sui and she doesn't plan on coming back."

"_ It's worse than that." replied the prince, grimacing a little. He looked at the Avari sitting near them. They were still sharpening blades, and too plunged in their own conversation, to listen to theirs. They probably didn't understand Sindarin very well anyway. "She said that...I ruined everything."

"_ And she's right." answered Olion, trying to sound as kind as possible. "You stand in you own mess, my friend. And it's not like I haven't tried to get you out of it before it was too late." Legolas looked away embarrassed. He had no answer to that. "Will you be alright?" Olion asked, worried.

Legolas shrugged.

"_ I don't know." he mumbled. " I should go." said the prince, before turning his back and leaving for the castle.

Olion noted that he would have to ask some servants about Legolas at the end of the day. The prince seemed to have become an empty shell.

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"_ Three days?" repeated Galdor for the forth time. " You will leave in three days?" he repeated a fifth time. "A war cannot be planned in three days!" he exclaimed.

"_ I am well aware." answered Sui as she shifted in her sit. There were in Galdor's office and it was identical to Alkien's office, where she used to work. Though, she had never sat on that side of the table before. "But we have no choice. The Hwent have been observing us for a long time, and the longer we linger here, the best prepared they become."

The tall wood elf sighed and brought a hand to his head, as if to prevent a headache from happening. Sui couldn't help but smile a little. He reminded her of Alkien, whom she missed.

"_ Tell me again," he started, "how will you proceed?"

"_ Tomorrow, most of ours will leave to annihilate the group standing east." She pointed at the emplacement on the map. "They won't expect us and will be out-numbered. We will trap them in a circle, so that no one escapes to warn the main group. Two days shall be more than enough to annihilate them there." She moved her finger to the west. "The day after tomorrow, the rest of ours will take all the Hwenti scattered around here." She pointed at another area on the map. "We'll send the scouts, spies and the trackers, so the hwenti don't notice a thing before it is too late." She paused. Galdor saw a hint of fear in her eyes, as her hand moved north, where the largest group of Hwenti had settled. "Then we'll meet them there. The first launch will be out best chance to make as much damage as possible since once, more, they won't be expecting us." She laid back in her chair. "It won't start before I arrive there, the third day."

"_ Your soldiers won't be rested enough, and two days, is a very short time to kill the ones east _and_ west _and_ start marching north so that they may be there on time." warned Galrdo, shaking his head.

"_ We fight in rotative groups, like the Hwenti. Our men will be rested enough." she assured him. "Plus, I am positive we have more healers among us than they do. We'll be fine." She paused. "At least, until the forth day." She swallowed hard.

Galdor bit his lips as he stared at her. He searched the elfling he had authorized to fire a arrows when she wasn't allowed to, months ago, but could find her nowhere. The elleth sitting in front of him seemed much older. She didn't look lost, she knew what she was doing. She resembled Alkien a lot too, in the way she held herself: straight and serious, moving carefully, like a knight's sharp weapon.

"_ There is nothing I can say to stop you from doing this," he started, then sighed. "So, in the name of the king, I grant you the right to make war on our territory." She did move a muscle, but seemed relived. "However, you should know that we will expect any damage to be compensated."

She smirked.

"_ Compensation will be given, have no doubt." she promised. "We have little interest in gold and shiny rocks though they are as numerous in FellSvogee ground than they are stars in your sky."

Galdor handed her a paper. She read it carefully. Frowned a little, then signed it. They saluted each other formally, then she excused herself.

·△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△▼△·

From the corridor, Unel could hear the twins fight about something in the kitchen. She thought they were idiots, but since they barely ever fought against one another, she decided to help them sort things out. She didn't have anything better to do at the moment anyway. Plus she thought they would know where she could find the prince so she could apologize. Not about having sold him out, but about having yelled at him after having sold him out. After he had spoken to Nellil, he had come to find her, and she had turned into a fuming dragon.

"_ Elrohir, let go of your brother!" she ordered, when she entered the room. One of the twins was holding the other's arms rather aggressively, while the other tried to push him away with a foot.

"_ I am Elladan." answered the younger twin, calmly, as if nothing had happened. He sat straight in a chair, and his twin did the same.

"_ What brings you here?" questioned Elrohir. Him too was pretending that he hadn't been arguing with his brother.

"_ Your girly cries." she answered, as she sat in front of them. They both frowned, glanced at each other and turned to her.

"_ And?" they asked in unison.

"_ Why would there be an 'and'?" she growled, raising a brow.

"_ You have that in common with Sui," started Eladan.

"_ There is always an 'and' with the likes of you." completed Elrohir.

"_ The likes of us?" she repeated. She wasn't sure if she disliked being compared to the barbaric avari more than she disliked the tone the twins had used. "_And_," she started again. "I want to know, what you are fighting about." she said. "It is a rare sight to see one of you assault the other."

"_ We had a disagreement, that's all." they both answered, glancing suspiciously at each other. Neither one of them seemed ready to speak. Unel was even more curious, now.

"_ Do nor force me to make you talk." she warned, her eyes, glowing. They looked at one another, turned to her then shook their heads.

"_ We don't think it wise to share the information just yet." they offered, almost sure of themselves. She squinted an eye in disapproval. They exchanged an uncertain glance at each other.

"_ Why won't you say it?" she asked as she moved to stand between them. She turned to Elladan. "Let me guess..." She stared, looking at the youngest twin. Deciding he was the least readable of the two, she turned to the other. "Elrohir," she murmured in his ear. He shivered and Elladan started glaring at him. She enveloped the older twin from behind and let her hands caress his strong arms until they reached his hands. She started drawing circles in his palms. The older twin grimaced subtlety. He had always thought the elleth very attractive, but she had always made him uncomfortable. Somehow, she made him feel less of a male. Elladan was well aware of that and was glaring at him with wide eyes, as if it could prevent Elrohir from talking so that the elleth would walk away from him. "Come on, you know you can tell me every thing." she said, with honey in her voice. She pressed her breasts against his back. The older twin jumped off his chair.

"_ Don't come any closer!" he yelled. She tried not to laugh and stepped closer trapping him between the table and her. "Legolas has gone missing!" he shouted. Elladan snarled and rolled his eyes.

"_ Didn't I tell you, we shouldn't tell the ellith?!" he angrily threw at his brother.

"_ Didn't I tell you they should know?!" Elrohir snapped back.

"_ I thought we had agreed not to do nor say anything unless we both agreed on something!"

"_ That was before you punched me!" He accused. Unel moved quickly and grabbed Elladan's collar tightly.

"_ What do you mean 'missing'?" she asked. Elrohir laughed a little. Now, Elladan was the one who was uncomfortable.

"_ Olion saw him head for the castle this morning. He said Legolas was 'blank'. And since then no one has seen him and the night has fallen." She released him and shook her head.

"_ He is portably in his room." she told them.

"_ No he isn't." they said in unison. "He is nowhere in the castle. Nor is he in the Avari camp." they assured her.

"_ How would you know that? There is only two of you, you can't have searched the whole castle in a day." she told them.

"_ Oh, we KNOW." they insisted. She believed them. They knew everything, all the time.

Unel paused to think about it. The twins stared at her in silence.

"_ I know where he is." she declared.

"_ The lake?" They asked. They didn't let her enough time to speak. "We thought about it. He isn't there. The king had all the old boats removed so he couldn't built a new one to sail."

"_ Then he must have gone to get some fresh wood." she answered.

"_ We have explored that option, too. He did not leave the castle, we are certain of it." Unel started walking away. "Where are you going?" they asked her.

"_ To the princess. She will know." .

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Thranduil growled for the tenths time. He never found the right key the first time. His future daughter in law and her green eyed friend made no comment. Still, they seemed to be in a hurry. Until now, he hadn't exactly realised how weird the situation was. Two ellith wanted to get inside his rooms because 'Legolas is in it', or so they said. He was having second thoughts about all this.

"_ Why am I doing this again?" he asked annoyed, while looking at all the keys in his hand.

"_ Because, father, like us you fear The Call has come back." explained Nellil with her sweet voice. Thranduil heard nothing after 'father'. He had always wanted to have a daughter, and Nellil was the exact way he had pictured she would be.

"_ Well child," he started, as he unlocked the door. "Here you go." he said curtly as he opened the door for the ellith to come in. As soon as they stepped inside the suite, they glanced at each other, confused. The room was magnificent. Truly, one would never think they were in a single male's chambers. Compared to this, even Nellil's well furnished apartments looked like a dirty rat hole. Thranduil came in after them, proud that his suite had so much effect on them. "You may sit there." he told them, pointing at the table and chairs that stood on his balcony. "I will look for him in the bedroom." he said before disappearing behind a silky door.

* * *

They had been right indeed. His son was laying, curled around a pillow, like a foetus, eyes closed. He didn't move, nor even opened his eyes, although Thranduil had not exactly been silent when coming in.

"_ What are you doing here?" he asked his son.

"_ Have you gone blind, Ada?" answered the prince without moving. "I am resting."

Thranduil wanted to throw him out this instant, but since the ellith seemed to be worried about him, he didn't. He poked at his son's shoulder. The prince remained motionless.

"_ How long have you been resting?" He sat down and laid back on Legolas, crushing him a little. But the prince stubbornly remained unmoving.

"_ All day." he muttered.

"_ Did you eat?" asked the king, slightly worried now.

"_ No." He paused. "Not hungry."

Thranduil, climbed on the other side of the bed and forced Legolas to raise his head and look at him. His teeth clasped together.

"_ You are pale and feverish."he told his son. "_Why_ are you pale and feverish? Elves like us don't catch illnesses."

Legolas removed his head from his father's hands and plunged in a pllow.

"_ I am tired." He sighed. "I just need to sleep." he assured his father.

The king was not convinced. He wasn't sure if he was angry or worried.

"_ Is this about the Avari elfling again?!" he grounded, almost nicely. Legolas stayed silent. Thranduil said nothing for while, and made himself comfortable, near his son. " Would building a boat make you feel better?" he asked, reluctantly.

"_ No." He shook hi head. "I would have went out for some wood otherwise." he explained. He paused. "How did you get rid of the pain after Naneth died?" he asked. Thranduil cursed under his breath. The king grabbed one of his many pillows, and curled around it the exact same fashion Legolas was curled around his.

"_ You don't get rid of it." he said, grimacing. "You learn to live with it."

"_ Does it ever get any easier?"

"_ Never." he admitted. He pulled the covers from under himself so he could slip under them. Legolas stared at him, uncertain. Thranduil had covered himself up to his nose. Both his brows were furrowed. The prince wondered if his father was pouting and was amused by the ridiculous of the situation.

"_ Aren't you supposed to be a busy king?" he asked his father.

"_ I am taking the rest of the night off." growled Thranduil. "Whatever illness you have developed is contagious." he spat as he rolled over to give his back to his son. "Your gloominess have reached me too, now." he complained. Legolas laughed softly. " Don't try to act cute, now!" he warned." I am bitter at the moment, and would like to stay so, in my right, until the sun rises!" Legolas hugged his father. Thranduil, cursed again and tried to push him away. But his elfling wouldn't let go. "Over two thousands years old and yet, he still sneaks in my bed for hugs." he complained. "What a parasite." he said smiling.

* * *

(On the king's balcony.)

"_ I don't think he is coming back out...Should we leave?" asked Nellil, ill at ease. Being in the kings apartment felt wrong somehow. It had the sour-sweet taste doing forbidden thing had.

"_ Certainly not!" exclaimed Unel, as she poured herself a third glass from the inviting wine they had found the table. "We are both going to enjoy staying here, as long as he allows us to." she stated. "The king's chambers are even more amazing than what I imagined the immortal lands would look like." she added. Nellil chuckled shyly. "Wine?" offered Unel as she poured another glass to the smaller elleth.

Nellil stared at it.

"_ I am not allowed more than one. And that would be the second." she said, looking at her hands.

"_ I don't see any one around who would stop you." pointed out the green eyed elleth. "Plus, you deserve you good drink, after what we put you through, don't you think?" She held the glass for the princess to take it. She seemed hesitant. "A glass to a reborn friendship." she insisted.

Nellil took the glass.

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When Thranduil decided he had sulked long enough, he turned around to check on his son. Who was sleeping. Eyes closed. He thought he might have been hallucinating so he pinched his own arm. Pain. He stared at Legolas trying not to panic. He shook his darling elfling gently. But the prince didn't wake. He shook him violently. But the prince still wouldn't wake. The king would have checked if his son was still breathing, but hearing the younger ellon snore a little made it obvious that he was.

Holding back his tears for what had happened taken his wife away from him seemed to be claiming his son now, he left the room to call on the healers.


	37. Chapter 34: I missed cream

**Chapter 34: I missed cream**

"_ I have good news." announced Galdor as he entered the small infirmary room. Thranduil nodded from his chair, looking at the Captain expectantly. Galdor grimaced a little, regretting his choice of words. 'Good news' would be Legolas finally waking up, he figured."The Kinn-laï successfully beat the Hwenti in the west. Those who went east reported being victorious, though, they believe a few elves escaped them."

"_ Good news indeed." said the King. He couldn't have sounded any more uninterested. "Are the others ready to leave for the real war?" he asked.

"_ They are." he replied on an aggravated tone. " There is nothing left but the wild flowers they grew where the camp used to be." He said, laying back against the wall. "They are readying their horses as we speak. Their leave is imminent." He paused and examined the prince. He seemed peaceful, sleeping like a human baby. He also seemed less pale than he had been two days ago, when his father had brought him to the healers. "Any changes?" asked the Captain, still staring at the youngest silvan.

"_ None." replied the king. "Still the healers are positive he will wake up. They say he must have been challenged, emotionally, and needed to rest." He snarled. "I hate waiting."

"_ He clings to life like a stubborn tic." laughed Galdor. Thranduil glared him a second, then smiled a little. Legolas did hold onto everything he could put his hands on quite tightly. "I will be on my then." When he opened the door, Galdor was startled, what caught the King's attention. "Well if it isn't the youngest Avari Captain!" he exclaimed. "When did you learn to walk as silently as a cat? I remember you breathing as heavily as a fat dwarf not so long ago." he joked. The elleth frown, wrinkling her nose. Then without waiting for an answer, the wood elf captain left. He had no doubt that the king and the small avari had a great need to talk and clarify some things.

Sui had expected to find Thranduil there. She had heard that he wouldn't leave the room unless something truly urgent came up. She had also heard that he had fought the nurses to wash and spoon feed his 'baby' himself. The thought had disturbed her, but didn't come as a surprise.

"_ I didn't mean to intrude." She waited for an answer but none came. "I waited for Legolas to be alone, until I couldn't wait any more." she told the king.

"_ I am not an idiot you know." said the King, sitting straight. He sounded tensed and border line angry. Sui raised a brow. He understood she might be an idiot. "I know the two of you shared..."he searched for his words. "Whatever you shared. He came to me. He begged me to give you soldiers." Sui answred nothing. She just bit her lips. Thranduil frowned. "Did you ask him to do that?"

The elleth shook her head. She was too proud to have asked such a thing.

"_ If anything, I asked him to stay out of the way of my quarrelling with you." she answered. She sounded honest. And Legolas did have a bad habit of putting his nose where it shouldn't be.

The king stood up. Sui didn't know what to make of herself now. Should she stand there? Move?Leave?

"_ You can stay." said the King. "A few minutes, no more." he added. Sui was thankful enough for being given even so much as a second, so she didn't say a word. "And once you leave, understand than I cannot welcome you back here. I believe I was generous enough with your people." he started again, now standing in the doorway. "And to you, especially. You have taken more than I was willing to give, and I will not forget it." His eyes glowed with rage. She wished he hadn't been in the room when she came.

He closed the door behind him.

Sui came closer to the bed. She stared at Legolas for a while, then tried shaking him to wake him up, but nothing happened. She wondered if _she_ was responsible was putting him in this state. Then she thought about the way he had lied to her and spit on the promise he had made to her and decided he had probably done that to himself. She still boiled inside when thinking about how easily fooled she had been.

She was positive that if he hadn't fallen ill, the time she had rejected him would have been the last time she would have ever seen his face. She had been satisfied with herself then, yet, it wasn't the way she wanted to remember him. After all, there had been 'magic' between them, like he had said. She sighed. There was no point thinking about it now, was there?

She stood straight and placed a fist on her chest.

"__ One, because I can._" she started. "_Two, because I can do better. Three, because I won't have_ _choice. And a fourth kill...for you." _She bent towards him. "_You deserve that much for what you gave_." she told him, wondering if he could hear her. Maybe she was being too good, killing someone in his name. "_May I never see you again_." she finished, then headed for the door. She opened it. The King was standing right in front of it. " I won't forget you have welcomed us." she told him, serious. "I won't forget what I took either." she added, bitter. "And if it is any consolation, I lost to him what he lost to me."That said, Sui found her way to the exit.

Thanduil stared at the elleth for a while. He did feel a little better knowing she had 'lost' something to Legolas, whatever that meant. He also realised that he had hoped Sui's presence would wake the prince up, somehow. But it didn't. His son eyes were still shut tight and he was no more reactive now than he had been before she had said her farewells.

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"_ Ready_ ?_" asked the twins in unison. They stood in front of the large gates, to bid the Avari good luck and good bye. Sui tightened her grip around her horse's reins.

"_ _I don't think I could ever be ready for war._"she answered in her tongue. She knew the twins were as fluent in avari than she was in sindarin.

"_ Wisely spoken." they told each other, content. Sui raised a brow. 'Wise' wasn't exactly a word they usually used to speak of any one else but themselves. Besides, she did not understand where there was any wisdom to be found in what she had said.

"__ Remind me one last time, how many dead ?_" she asked them, hoping remembering the number would give her more strength somehow.

"_ Only 13." they told her. They had stayed with her so that she would have some friends around, the past two days. Mhélir had left with the first group. Albien and Mhéléane with the second. She was to stay behind to finish counting what they owed the wood elves. The amount was much higher that she had expected. It would make Alkien cringe to see how many zeros there were on the paper Galdor had given her. She smiled a little when she thought her Captain.

"__ It's already 13 too much."_ She grimaced. She didn't feel any stronger.

"_ Don't carry the dead with you," started Elrohir.

"_ They are heavier than you would think." finished Elladan.

"_ I care very little for the dead." she admitted. "They are too dead. Too gone." She shrugged. "I fear for the living." she said looking ahead. All the avari were ready to go. They were waited for her orders. "I should go." she told the twins, deciding it was time.

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"_ Really?!" complained an irritated sounding voice. "That is how you wake?" the person added, still annoyed. "With no elegance and a horse's grunt?!"

Legolas wanted to frown but his face was numb.

"_ What?!" he managed to growl at his father. His vision was a little blurry but no one else's hair had the colour of silver. "You should be content enough that I am waking up at all!" he said, now able to frown. "I felt like sleeping for days!"

"_ You slept through eights days and seven nights, little one." answered the King, containing his happiness and trying to sound unimpressed. Legolas sat abruptly, eyes wide.

"_ 8 DAYS?!" he yelled. "Why didn't _you_ wake me up?" He glared at his father. Not waiting for an answer, he looked around the room, searching for his boots. He did not even realise he was in the healing quarters. "The Knin-laï-"

"_ Gone." cut Thranduil.

"_ Dead?" asked Legolas, submerged by panic. The king rolled his eyes.

"_ I said no such thing." he reassured his son. The prince seemed to breathe again. The king moved to sit on his son's bed's side. "Now lay down, I don't want you exhausting yourself back to another eight days of sleep." He forced Legolas to lay. The prince tried to fight back but ended up making himself dizzy. He sighed.

"_ Sui?" he asked, too lazy to make a proper sentence. Thranduil cursed.

"_ She put you in this sleep and you insist on asking about her?" he snarled.

"_ _I_ put myself in this sleep." replied the prince, rather bitterly. "_The Call_ putg me in this sleep." he added, thinking. His father stared at him, a dubious brow raised high. "Her being stone cold did not help much." he admitted. "But she definitely was not the only factor." he insisted. "Ada?" he called, suddenly changing tone."I am hungry." The prince gave his father a childish grin.

"_ I'll have the cooks make you pie." answered the king, standing up.

"_ AN apple pie, please." said Legolas. "I am craving only for apples." he insisted. "With a lot of cream, please. I love cream. I missed cream, while I was sleeping." he grinned again.

Thranduil rolled his eyes. His son had missed 'cream' but not his father. What an ingrate that son of his, he thought, unable to prevent himself from smiling.

"_ I'll have your friends bring it to you." answered the King.

"_ What friends?" asked Legolas squinting both eyes. " If by 'friends' you mean the twins, I would rather stay alone and starve!" he exclaimed.

"_ Now, don't be mean, son." scolded the King. " I have already told you that the twins are good company. Perhaps they could teach you a thing or two about being good company." he said. "Like hugging daddy when you wake after having slept for eights days straight." he complained.

Now Legolas was the one rolling his eyes.

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A few days had passed since Legolas had woken up. And more days had gone by since the Kinn-laï had left the castle's safety. Every thing was as thought they had never come. The sun was was as bright as it could get in winter, the birds still sang, the sky was still blue and Thranduil still insisted on that Legolas try courting and seducing Nellil all over again.

And as he watched her silky hair fly behind her whilst she ran, and heard the softness of her voice whilst she laughed, the prince wondered if his father had the best of it.

"_ She truly is a beauty, isn't she?" he sighed, unable to look away from the princess.

"_Of course. She is exquisite." confirmed Thranduil looking at her too. "Did you think I would wed you to an ugly snake?" he asked.

Legolas turned to his father.

"_ Actually, I was talking about the other one." he lied. "The tall one with green eyes." he said, jokingly. Thranduil hit the back of his head. Then looking in Unel's direction.

"_ She isn't bad either." he admitted after having stared a her for a few seconds."Probably too ambitious." he offered. At that, the prince raised a brow and looked at his father, impressed. He spoke like he knew the elleth, although, he had never even given her so much as a glance before today.

"_ How would you describe Sui ?" he asked, eager for his elder to share his wisdom about ellith. Perhaps, if had asked his father about them sooner, he would have avoided himself a lot of trouble.

"_ Arf." glamorously growled the King. "When will that one stop ruining my days!?" he complained.

"_ She can be sweet, you know." offered Legolas, calm.

"_ She has started a war, you know." Thranduil imitated his son's tone. "She eats elf flesh, you know." he mocked again. "She is as an unhealthy fascination for knives, you know." Legolas snarled at that one. "She isn't exactly what we can call a lady, you know." The king paused to think. "Actually, 'she' might be a 'he'." he said, already half convinced by his last statement. He tried hard to picture the elleth in his mind, but he had never paid attention to what she looked like. The only think that had stroke him about her appearance was her hair. Thick and dark, it was. Not exactly black, but almost. Also, they were sinfully curly and quite messy. He was unsure if his fixation on the elfling's hair was because he loved them or thought they were filthy. Perhaps both.

"_ Oh," laughed Legolas. "S**he** is a _**she**_**.**" assured the prince.

Thrandui raised a brow.

"_ You do not know that." he argued, cocking his head.

"_ Oh, but I **do know** that!" insisted the younger elf. "That's about the only one thing, I know for sure." he added. The king made a not so glorious sound to express his shock. Or was it disgust? Legolas could not tell.

"_ That was over sharing." concluded the sovereign.

Legolas frowned at that.

"_ And you speaking of the number of breasts you have seen in your life, while I am at sitting the table, isn't over sharing?" he complained. His father's grimace disappeared to let a smug smile replace it.

"_ You have to admit that I did see an impressive number of breasts, in my youth." pointed out the king. The prince thought about it for a second. And it was true enough, so he nodded reluctantly as an answer.

The two Silvan observed the ladies playing in the gardens in silence. Nellil was running behind Unel, bow and arrow in hands, trying to fire at as many targets as the older elleth. She was better than most for a beginner, but she lacked assurance in her aiming and her arms still shook when she positioned herself. She was laughing out loud and her hair shone as brightly as her smile.

"The avari isn't good enough for you."started the king again. He sounded so sure of himself, one could have sworn he had seen the future. "Trust me, Nellil is the one who will make you happy."

"_ That one is too good for me." replied the prince shaking his head. The princess could, of course, make him happy, he thought. But 'happy' wasn't enough.

"_ Nothing is too good for my son." grounded Thranduil. "You can have any thing you want." he assured him. Legolas opened his mouth to speak, but his father beat him to it. "Everything but the Avari." he added. Legolas resolved not to speak then. "You do realise you won't see her ever again." he told his son. " Even if she survived the war, what is unlikely, she-'

"_ Unlikely?"

"_ Our scouts say the Hwenti had reinforcements. They are much more numerous than expected." he explained. "The Kinn-laï are putting a good fight, but they will only be able to hold for another 4 days, **at best**."

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Legolas was sitting on one of the numerous stairs in the dungeons, surrounded by Unel, Nellil and the twins. The ellith did not seem very comfortable being here, in the dark. Legolas could see that Nellil did not like the gloominess of the this place and feel that Unel still held hold a grudge against him. The twins had told him that she had not exactly been pleasant to anyone since Olion had left.

"_Why did you ask for us all to meet you here?" asked Elrohir.

"_ There are better places to scheme than the dungeons. Voices echo here." said Elladan, careful to speak lower than his brother.

"_ There is no one near here to hear anything, but us." answered Legolas.

"_ To hear what?" intruded Unel, not so nicely. Every one turned to her. "What? I am the only one who cares more about why he has asked us to meet here than why we meet in the dungeons and not somewhere else?" Elladan and Elrohir shrugged looking at each other and Nellil bit her lips, still holding herself in her own arms.

"_ I have called you here to ask for your help. I will need all of you." said Lgolas. Unel snorted. "I am not asking for forgiveness, nor trust but for a favour." insisted the silvan, looking straight at Unel. "I have already apologised. If I could undo what I have done, I would. But I can't. And **this**, is not about me. It's about all the Avari." Unel did not seem convinced, but Nellil had sat down near him and Legolas knew Elladan and Elrohir liked the taste of what was forbidden and dangerous. " And Olion." he added. Unel frowned a little, then nodded as if to encourage him to speak.

* * *

**A/N:** ARRGH! Sorry for not updating sooner :/ Work is sucking the life out of me.

Also, I am thinking about making major updates to the story/ make it better/re-write it. But I am not sure if I want to do it now, and therefore end the story in quite some time away from now, or finish it first and then re-write it. Dunno.

Anywayyy, I'll try to update sooner ( as in this week end).


	38. Chapter 35: It's the smell, isn't it?

**Chapter 35 : It's the smell, isn't it?**

The first lights of the day peered through the leaves and shadows while the wind blew the sent of winter flowers along with the one of fresh blood. The blond prince knew at the smell in the air that him and the part of his unit that was marching with him where being followed. Thought their followers were not showing themselves, Legolas knew them not to be foes. Foes would have fired arrows as soon as they would have spotted him.

A man jumped out of the shadows. He was Kinn-lai, Legolas knew by his armour. The avari was also very young, no more than a hundred years old and looking not so strong, even for his age. The prince guessed that was the reason why the he had been tasked with surveilling the rear instead of joining the front with most of the others.

"_ _What are you doing here?_" asked the avari.

"_ _I come with reinforcement._" answered the silvan, with his thick accent and half decent avari. The boy tried to glance behind him as discretely as if waiting for someone in the shadows to murmur to him what to say next.

"_ _Did your king allow that?_" said the kinn-lai eyeing all the wood elves, seemingly unimpressed.

"_ _Not,_ o_f course._" started Legolas. The sentence sounded wrong, even to him, but the younger elf in front of him seem to have understood him anyway. "_Them answer to me, my father not to. All know risks and willing to take them, along me_. "

The younger elf turned again, but fully this time, to look at the shadows again. And before an elven shape could be distinguished, a voice was heard. "Why would you want to join us?" it asked.

Legolas recognised the voice on the spot. It was not one of those he wanted to hear the most but dealing with Mhélir might be better than dealing with Sui, all things considered.

"_ Yours have lived with and among mine. Your people are my people too, now." said the prince keeping his calm as the taller ellon approached him.

Mhélir had always been impressive, but he was closer to scary at the moment. He was wearing the whole of his armour, covered with scratches were he had been hit, and there was dried blood all over him, all the way up to his face. The dark shade of red made his green eyes look like shiny emeralds. The avari examined the wood elves standing expressionless behind Legolas. Then examined the prince himself, head to toe.

"_I have never thought your sight would make my heart jump." said Mhélir, with the sketch of a smile on his lips. Thranduil had told Legolas that people smiled the most, and more honestly, when life was the hardest. For Mhélir to joke with him, the situation must have been dire.

The prince smiled back at him. "Are we welcomed then?" he asked the dark elf.

"_ More than that." started the avari. "You are needed." Mhélir extended his hand to Legolas as a peace offering, and the prince shook it. "It is customary that you swear loyalty on your honour to the captain first, before actually joining the battle." said Mhélir, signalling to the other avari to hide in the shadows again, with others, guessed Legolas. "She won't refuse your help, but don't expect reconnaissance either."

"_ I know...I am only grateful to hear she still lives." replied Legolas glad to finally know for sure Sui was alive. But his joy was cut short at Mhélir's grimace.

"_ If she 'still live' now, I don't know." answered the Avari._ "But, aye, she still breathed and cursed when she left for the front at the last rotation_."

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« _ _Can we call for the captain? _» asked Mhélir, from a few meters away.

« _ _No need. She is inside . _» Answered Albien, trying to identify who the dark was walking with. « _What is he doing here ? _» growled Albien, only now noticing worry in Mhélir's eyes. They had had no news nor help from the wood elves since they had left the castle's safety, quite a while ago, and what had happened before that was not forgotten, nor forgiven. Legolas was not welcomed here. Tranduil had not raised the right finger at the kinn-lai, and his son had spit on their captain's honour.

« _ _He is here to help. He brought us wariors _» Mhélir came closer to Albien «_ We need them. Otherwise we won't hold the hwenti much longer... »_ he answered so low Legolas did not hear.

« __ You can get in, but he can't_. » said Albien, not enjoying the blond elf's company.

« _ _You know he has to bow to her if-_ »

« _ _I know the rules." _he interrupted. "_But she...You should get in first and ask her if now is agood enough time."_

Mhélir nodded. He hesitated a second, having noticed Albien's tone was odd, but entered anyway. Whatever was waiting for him inside the tent, he had no choice but to face it.

Albien and Legolas stood outside, in silence, avoiding each other's gaze. Legolas would have, and wanted to, apologise for the commotion he had caused, but he knew it would do nothing else than anger Albien more. Besides, Albien wasn't the one he owed an apology to. And now wasn't the time for apologies and attempts at reconciliation.

Mhélir came out of the tent after a few minutes. For a dark elf, he looked somehow pale now. With a gesture of the head, he motioned for Legolas enter the tent. The prince complied. He stepped inside the tent looking at the floor. He wanted to gather himself before looking up at Sui. Her eyes where like his father's: always piercing and when enraged, her gaze was physically hard to endure.

He swallowed his saliva in a gulp and dared looking up.

The air left his chest. His mouth opened, but was dry of words and saliva. He wanted to move but his body was stuck in place. Even his thoughts had frozen.

He gagged.

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"_ HIM AND ALL OF HIS UNIT?!" shouted the king. The guards in the throne room trembled and glanced at each other, praying the gods be good and king did not throw another glass, nor anything else without looking at where it ended up going, fearing this time one them would receive it on the head.

"Yes." confirmed Galdor, serious, and worried.

The king had wanted to throw something but having no other glass in his hand, he could not, and did not feel like throwing neither his crown or a boot. Instead he sat back on his thrown, trying hard to calm down. His nerves being challenged, his face turned red like the wine he had spilled.

"BRINNG ME A PARCHEMENT AND MY SEAL!" he yelled at his ward. The elf bowed then ran out of the room as fast as he could, looking too glad to be given the opportunity to escape the room even for only a minute or two.

Galdor furrowed a brow. "What will you write?" he asked his king and friend.

"_ What do you think?!" growled Thranduil, sounding both sad and annoyed "What he has done goes against my orders. He gone too far. I will not tolerate it." He closed his hands into fists. "He knew this might happen. And he did it anyway..." he muttered.

"Still, this is a harsh punishment. Legolas is only trying to do what he thinks is right." argued Galdor.

"_ What is right for the kinn-lai, not for US!" grounded the king. His voice resonated in the room. "By staying out of this war, at worse, we were loosing friends. By interfering, we are making foes!" The ward came back inside, looking terrified, and delivered a parchment and all that was required to write an official letter to his king. "I won't have a fool destroy what I built. If he does not come back with my people as soon as he reads this, he best not come back at all."

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The room was full of injured elves, there were a few dead bodies in a corner and by the smell of it, they had been there for while. An ellon had a leg being removed. Another elf 's screams of pain were being silenced by the piece of clothes forced into his mouth.

Death was inside this very tent and avari healers were not in sufficient number to chase it away from everyone's flesh. It seemed like they were only tending the elves with best chance of survival. The others just laid here and there, waiting for their turn, that might never come. But they didn't seem to mind. And neither did Sui despite the blade coming out of her stomach.

She was just sitting on an improvised bed, obviously unable to lay down, right in front of the entrance as if to greet people to their end. She had a dirty shirt on. It was covered in dry blood, probably not hers. Hers was still drying. It had left a trail from where the sword came out all the way down to her lower belly. It didn't bleed much, even her smaller wounds seemed to have bled more.

She looked down on him, as if he had been more disgusting than the smell of the rotten corpses in the room.

All the while trying not to regurgitate his food, the prince closed his eyes, brought a hand closed into a fist, to his chest and knelt on one knee.

"_ I, Prince Legolas of Eryn Lasgalen, offer you, Captain Sui of th-

"_ It's Captain Ly-Vaïa."

"_ I offer you, Captain Ly-vaïa, my services and those of the free elves who choose to follow me, now, to fight and defend a just cause." he paused. He had said all that was required.

Still he wanted to do more than that. Not for Sui, but for all the Avari. For all those people who have given their lives and for those who were fighting right now for their freedom, protecting the lives of his people with theirs in the process. "And..." he started again, as his heart beats became painful. _"By the strength of my soul, may the iron in my blood helps forging the sword of your victory, and all those to come."_ There he had said it. He had just tied himself up with chains, locked them together with a complex lock and threw the key far from his reach. It was done and couldn't be undone. At least not by him.

Mhéléane gasped and glanced at Sui with round eyes. Sui lost the aggravated mask she had been wearing the past days for a second but quickly put it back on. Still, it took her about a minute to process what he had just offered.

"_ _By the strength of my soul, and the blade of my sword, may my victory become our victory." _she told him.

Mhéléane could not believe it all. Legolas swore allegiance to her and she accepted it. He had just promised to come to their rescue whenever Sui would ask it of him, for anything and everything, may it be right or wrong, betting his honour and dignity on it, and she took it. Did he realise that he had just given her all she needed to toy with his life and get revenge on him for having insulted her? What a dumb elf, that prince who had 'marched to Mordor, the land of fire'.

Sui motioned for Mhéléane to come closer. The green eyed elleth knew what she had to do. She took one of Sui's knives, pressed it against the Captain's palm and stopped as soon as it started bleeding. She put a finger in the blood, then used it to draw traditional symbols on the prince's face.

"__ There, it's done."_ she told him. _"She is also your Captain, now. You are one of us, and that until she releases you or you die." _She sighed. _"You may stand and leave." _

The prince stood up, executed the Avari salute with both hands to Sui then walked out of the tent. Once outside, he took a deep breath. Mhélir and Albien stared at him, slightly horrified by the sight of the symbols on his forehead. It meant that he was to be considered Avari.

The prince took one step but as soon as his foot touched the ground his whole body crumbled under its own weight. He would have fallen if Mhélir hadn't caught his arm.

The two Avari stared at him more intensely, with furrowed brows. When they realised that the prince wasn't going speak, Albien gave a slight push to his armour to stimulate him.

"_ It's the smell, isn't it?_"_ asked Mhélir. _"Maybe we should have warned you about what was inside."_ he started again. _"_Even I can hardly handle it." He grimaced. _"I don't know how our sisters do it."_he told Albien.

"__ _The smell...and the blade..._" _whispered the wood elf. Mhélir laughed a little. Albien hit the back of his friend's head.

"__ This is no laughing, matter._" he grounded. _"She could still die of this wound if the healers don't find the time to tend her better than that."_

"__ The blade could have cut right through her heart that she wouldn't have died."_ answered Mhélir smiling assuredly. He started petting his friend's back.

"__ Her heart is strong, so that wouldn't have been a problem indeed."_ started Albien._ "But however large her stomach is, it is not so-_

"__ I CAN HEAR YOU CALL ME FAT, YOU MUTANT GOBLINS!" _screamed an angry voice coming from the inside of the tent. Legolas wondered how she found the strength to scream like that in her state.

"__ What should we do with him?" _asked Mhélir ignoring Sui. Legolas turned to the dark elf, feeling concerned.

"__ Have him lead his unit and half of your men to the front at the next rotation"_ Said Albien. "_ You and the others should rest some more, it will do you all some good." _Mhélir nodded.

"_You should know that more wood elves from my unit will arrive in an hour or so," intruded the prince. "They are heading towards us while we speak, with healers and provisions."

The dark elves seemed delighted to hear that.

"_ How many healers?" asked Albien.

Legolas shrugged. "I don't know. Three at the very least...20 or 30 at best..."

Mhélir and Albien seemed slightly disappointed, but nodded to him anyway, as if to thank him, then, Albien started walking away.

"_ _Are you leaving now?" _called the green eyed avari.

"_ _Yes, someone must replace Sui on the front, now. I don't want the troops to disperse themselves." _Albien looked at Legolas. "Find me on the front. I will assist you there."

"_ _You should not stay there for two rotation._" said Mhélir, grumpily.

"__ Without a shepherd, lambs get eaten by wolves. We have lost most of shepherd;, as of now Sui can't fight; you, must rest, Fenton and Aest too, so I must go_."

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Exhausted and still panting from the rush of adrenaline fighting triggered, Legolas slowy removed the plates of his armour.

The front had been as horrible as it could have been. He envied Olion who had been tasked with tracking and killing the Hwenti's spies. It was a much cleaner job, he thought, unlike the butchery had just taken part in. Then again, no job in a war was ever pleasant. What brought him to wonder why people liked to settle their quarrels with violence. Violence called for death, death called for vengeance, and vengeance triggered the vicious circle of hatred. Legolas loathed all of this. He could fight wonderfully, had mastered the art of killing but still wished he had no need of using these talents. Doing so made him bitter, made him feel like a lesser person.

Setting his amour aside, he decided to make sure Unel and the twins had managed to convinced other healers to join the kinn-laï, hoping Nellil had been good enough of a distraction to his father to allow the others to sneak out of the castle.

If they weren't enough healers, more would die soon. Sui too, probably, though she did not seemed pained in any way. Her condition was indeed a curse, he realised. It enabled death to come ever so close to her, without her being aware of it. On one hand he wished she would take better care of herself, but on the other hand, he was glad she didn't, because it meant that someone had to do it for her, and he wanted to be that person.

The prince entered the tent to find the fowl smell was still present. His nose wrinkled uncontrollably as the rotten odour filled it, but the sound of Unel's irritated voice comforted him a little. The elleth was scolding one of her patients, and being avari, the ellon probably didn't understand a word of what she was yelling at him. He saw the twins tending patients with their magic, and other familiar faces. To his relief, 27 healers had come, and many were part of the realm's best. Hopefully they were enough to save all those who could e saved.

Then something hit him; Sui was not there.

"_Where the Captain is?_" he asked to the closest nurse.

"_They took out the sword, and she bled out like a waterfall."_ she said, too busy to even glance at him._ "Now..now she's gone, along with the corpses._" She sighed.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for all the comments, they are very encouraging 3


	39. Chapter 36: Dead Imbecile

**Chapter 36: kill him dead three times**

As he strode angrily throughout the whole camp, Legolas didn't care if the elves around him glared, and brought their hands to their scabbard as though he was an enemy. The halls of Mandos be damned, if any of them – may they be kinn-laï, hwenti or wood elf – dared stand in his way he would kill them all the same. Never in his life had he been so mad before; the glacial air of winter turned hot at his contact.

Once the body shape of the elf he blamed for his anger on was at arms reach, before any one could stop him, he had pulled them close, in a suffocating embrace and crashed his lips against theirs in front of every one else.

He never heard the gasps the elves around Sui and him made for the elleth slapped him across the face so violently that his ears refused to work for a few seconds. As soon as he had recovered from the hit, he kissed her again. The elleth bit his lower hip viscously this time. Despite the pain, he didn't give up, and eventually the avari returned his kiss.

This time, the prince did not miss the gasps echoing out loud. He gasped too as she kissed him back. There was nothing innocent about the way she was massaging his tongue with hers, as she rubbed the tip of his ears. Suddenly self aware of the show the two of them were giving the others, the prince felt himself blush.

"_ Please, stay proper." growled the outraged wood elves while some Avari roared out in thundering laughters and the others shouted both encouragement ad curses. With all the noise this was causing, there was no telling if they approved of the relationship or not. But knowing Sui,, Legolas knew that regardless of what her people thought about the two of them, she would do what she wanted to do without giving a damn about what people wanted her to do.

Sui felt two big hands tearing her hands away from Legolas. Unable to fight back so she was surprised by her own reaction, she let herself be pulled away from him. Albien was holding her still while Mhélir had locked the prince's arms behind his back. The blond elf was not trying to free himself. He only seemed annoyed.

"__ 'Best solve your issues somewhere else_." Mhélir told them as he released the prince. Sui felt the Albien's hesitation as he reluctantly released her as well.

The young Avari Captain sighed. What had she done? Exactly what she had felt like doing; exactly what she shouldn't have done. Though, now the Kinn-lai would be less reluctant to fully accept the wood elves help in this war since they knew the prince was involved with her...romantically. Legolas..well...what was she to do with him now? Clearly she still cared for him despite how hard she tried to convince herself that she did not feel a thing for him. The volcano that had erupted after the learning of his betrayal had cooled, and instead of hardening her, the horrors of war had made her crave for a sort of comfort neither a friend nor a family member could provide. But Legolas could give that to her. And he was wiling to give that to her.

"_ _The issue is solved _." she said as she wiped her mouth. _"I am done playing with him. Remove him from my sight_." she ordered. Two avari soldiers stood, ready to kick him away should he fight and Legolas stood tall, ready to knock them both down. But before there could be a confrontation, Mhélir stepped in front of Legolas in a protective fashion.

"_ _He saved Mhéléane's life during the last rotation,_" he started. "_And Albien's during the rotation before that. Grant him a moment; he has won some of your time._"

The elleth glared at her friend, and acknowledging the fact that she should grant the prince an audience, she frowned stubbornly, then turned around and began to waggle with as much dignity as someone in her situation could have. She did not feel the pain her wound should cause her, but it had damaged her body so much that walking required a lot of focus. And as an Avari, she was too proud to accept any one's help in order to do something as simple as walking.

"Follow me." she grumbled as she stumbled away.

Legolas looked at Mhélir both shocked and glad for his intervention. He released that saving Mhéléane's life had bought him both the green eye ellon's gratitude and his friendship at once. The same could not be told of Albien although he had not protested to him and Sui getting some privacy.

After a courteous nod to Mhélir, Legolas caught up with Sui wondering if she had forgiven him his wrong. Well, if she had, at the very least, digested it slightly. She had kissed him back, so things could not be so bad between them, could they? He glanced at Sui. Despite her awkward way of walking, she seemed stiff and had not lost any bit of her charismatic aura. Maybe things still were so bad between the two of them...

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"_Speak." she said. Legolas stared back at Sui in silence. "Well, we don't have all winter." she urged when he still had not said a word after a minute or two. "What do you want?"

"_ What do you think?" The words came out of his mouth sharp like an arrow's head, making Sui's face darken instantly. " It's also all so hard for me, you know..." he added, trying to soften the effect of his first sentence to no avail.

"Did I not give you the chance you had asked for? Didn't you throw it away?" She did not wait for him to answer. "I fail to see how hard things are for you. You are here by choice."

"Choice that I removed from my plate when I pledged my allegiance to you." he reminded her, raising his tone. "Before you arrived in my life beating everything down, I had a fiancé I wanted to spend the rest of my days with, I was in control, thing were easy. They even seemed perfect and-"

"_ _PERFECT?!_" she yelled. " YOU started this. You came to me. You pursued me even after I had rejected you! You are pursuing me still right now. THIS!?" she said making big circles with her arms. " You asked for it all!" She paused for a second, the time only to breathe. "You should be thanking me for making you open your eyes and understand that what you had was not what you wanted, instead of reproaching me for not sympathizing with you."

"_Oh, well thank you very much for ruining my life!" shouted the prince. "I mean it. Thank you. After all you are right; if you hadn't mistreated my fiancée, hated me, hated my people, lied to me, tortured me, hit me, started a war, I wouldn't be standing here like an idiot, trying to help YOU open your eyes!" Sui seemed startled by his answer. He paused, and calmed down a little. "Damn it! why can't you just accept that I need you, and that you need me just as much."

The elleth frowned, biting her lips as if trying not implode with anger.

"_ You've not known me for a year yet!" she shouted back at him. "Get off your horse, princeling, you don't love me. You can't love me because you barely know me! What you love is the IDEA of who I am you have build up in that pretty blond head head of yours!"

To that, the prince sighed in desperation and shook his head.

"_ Cultural differences, time, age, what other excuse will you find?" he started. "If what you want is me to beg you to accept the fact that we belong together, I will do it." She seemed not believe him. "Tell me what I must do and I will do it. Truly, all you have to do is let me know how I am supposed to make you see things for what they are."

Legolas had expected an answer or another outburst but instead he was given silence. Not a cold and violent silence that was impossible to ignore, but a slow and gentle silence. The dark elf seemed utterly confused and lost in her thinking. Then her frown deepened.

"__I don't know_." she muttered almost shyly, yet stubbornly.

_No_, he thought, _you know very well what you feel. You just won't allow yourself any weakness. _

"_ I can't live waiting for you to decide what you want Sui." he warned. "I have fallen into a deep sleep once, and The Call...it grows stronger every day that goes by. I don't have enough time to wait for you." His hands closed into fists. "This, right now, is your- our, one last chance. If you let me leave this tent, be sure that I won't come back begging for your love."

Although she seemed to know he was serious, Sui did not move nor say a word. She did not even look at him. As the minutes passed, Legolas' hopes died painfully and Sui grew restless, still refusing to say the words he wanted to hear.

He truly just wanted to hear them only once. Then he would give her all the time she wanted to grew accustomed to the situation, she knew, but she felt like admitting those feeling would be the end of her, so she could not speak them out.

Understanding that the words would never come out, unsure of how he felt regarding the brutal rejection, Legolas turned to leave.

Only to be stopped by Albien, who entered the tent just as he was about to exit it.

"__Sui, I caught you a little bird_." said the The Giant's son, holding a a wood elf by arm not so nicely. The poor ellon's face was swollen from a hit that had undoubtedly hurt. "_He was trying to leave the camp discreetly, with this_."

The Avari extended a parchment to Sui, who gave a suspicious glance at Legolas, who suddenly looked guilty.

"_What is this?" she questioned the beaten up wood elf. The elf looked at his prince, then down at his feet, not daring to answer, and yet not brave enough to stay silent.

"_ A message." he offered.

"_ What message?" her voice grounded.

"_ A call for help, to a friend of mine since my father won't help and even with my soldiers, we are too few in number to win this war." shamelessly intruded Legolas. As always, he was protective of his people. And if Sui was playing at being the Captain, he could play at being the prince.

"_ What friend?" she pressed, thinking how he had almost fooled her again. Him and his father had probably decided to pretend to be helping them when really, it was the Hwenti they meant to bring help to.

"_The King of Gondor." he answered, serious, without hesitation. He sounded too honest, to tell the truth, she thought. So, curious, Sui began to nimble at the seal, trying to undo, in order to read the content held by the parchment "If you open it," began Legolas, "My friend will think it a trap and will not answer to my call." Having guessed what would be Sui's next question he decided to keep going. " He doesn't know about the existence of Avari. He would not have trusted one of your soldiers, if I had asked them to deliver the message. That is why I have sent one of mine. I did not think a call for allies would be a problem."

Sui seemed to be unsure about how to deal with the matter, but Albien had already made his mind. The avari ellon took the message out of his sister's hand.

"__ I'll see that this_" he pointed at the elf with the swollen face, "_is successfully delivered along with this._" he said, announcing his trust for the prince.

Sui furrowed both brow at that, but far from being angry, she was worried.

"_ _No, I need you here._" she said trying to sound like an adult, but the ellyn in the room heard the plea the child in her had mouthed.

"__No, you don't._" he said glancing at Legolas suggestively.

"_ _You're one of the best, I can't let you go._" she argued while her fingers dug into the skin of her palms. She seemed almost scared somehow. Legolas wanted to take her in his arm and tell herthat everything would be alright. But he knew her well enough now to know that if she was shaking, it was not because something frightened her, but because the weight of war was too heavy for her to bear alone.

"_ _And if you don't send one of the best, the message will never go through_." With that, Albien exited the tent, ending the conversation, dragging the wood elf soldier with him. Sui did not try to stop him. Nor did she call after him. All she did was sit, and shielding her emotions away like she was so good at doing, she motioned for Legolas to leave.

The prince hesitated. He wanted to fight for her more. But she had already made her choice, he reminded himself, as he forced his body to move away.

Outside, the prince was surprised to find that Albien had been waiting for him.

"_ Whatever happens to her, will happen to you, from my own hands when I come back." he warned. For once, he did not sound so threatening. "Keep that in mind." he added.

"_ You know very well she won't let me protect her." he replied bitterly.

"_ That has never stopped you before." Albien told him. He looked at the prince up and down "_Maybe she's right to not give herself away so easily._" he added before finally leaving.

Legolas would have punched him, but he did not have the energy for this at the moment. '_Easily?! When has anything been easy with her?!, _he thought,_ Avari truly have a strange definition of the word._

"_ Prince, gather your soldiers." ordered a familiar voice. "_It's almost time for the rotation._" said Mhélir.

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"_ We are trapped." breathed out Mhélir between to kills. He had had a lot of trouble fighting his way to the prince. The Hwenti's number seemed to grow by the minute. Until now, despite having been outnumbered, the kinn-lai had been able to fight back, but the situation had changed. Too many of them were tired. Too many of them were wounded. And they were more of the others now than they been before. The battle was lost.

"_ I have noticed." answered Legolas as he blocked a sword that would have cut his head off.

"_ We'll be dead in no time if we stay here." Méhlir insisted. If he was afraid of dying, the tone he had used did not let that show.

"_I know!" shouted the prince, slightly irritated by the avari's acceptant attitude..

"_ Then quit fighting like an elfling and give everything you have to earn yourself a beautiful death." teased Mhélir as he grinned like a viscous predator, and slew another opponent. Legolas did not find it amusing at all. He had no intention on dying 'beautifully'. In fact, he had no intention on dying at all.

The prince grabbed his well polished elven horn and blew it. All of his soldiers suddenly stopped fighting. Being avari, not wanting to fight an enemy who isn't going to fight back, Kinn-lai as well as Hwenti stood still as well.

Knowing the peace would not last for there was too much animosity and testosterone in the air, Legolas stroke quickly.

"_ Who commands you, Hwenti?" he demanded, loud enough for all to hear.

Mhélir bent to murmur in the prince's ear.

"_ What is the meaning of this? What are your trying to do?"

"_ I am buying you some time." he replied, not so sure of himself. And Mhélir must have felt his uncertainty for the ellon swallowed hard as his body stiffened uncomfortably. "You better come up with a plan to beat them and save me, later." he added, when he saw a tall Hwenti swiftly making his way to him, while chaos began to growl again.

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Sui face-palmed herself as she tried to remember to inhale and exhale. Then suddenly she could not hold it any more.

"__ JUST HOW MUCH OF AN IMBECILE IS HE!?_" she yelled so loudly all the elves inside the tent shook.

"_ _Dead imbecile, if you want my opinion._" answered Mhélir when no one had dared say a word. "_He did save us some time, and all of our lives... for now._" he added, trying to soften Sui's mood. "_We were cornered. The Hwenti would have killed me and my soldiers, then attacked the camp if it weren't for him._"

"__ Do not get me wrong, I am grateful for that of course_," she said sounding awfully irritated, " _But by making himself a war prisoner and revealing his identity to them, he has given them all the power!_" She snorted angrily. "_If we let him die, his father will be wipe us all out of existence in the blink of an eye._"

Unable to cool down, she kicked a chair. It fell miserably.

"_ _What do we do?_" asked one of the elders. Although the situation could not grow any worse, he did not sound worried about anything. Elders never worried about anything, Sui thought. And that very fact worried her.

"__ We wait._" she offered after several minutes of silent thinking.

"__ For what?_" asked Mhélir. By the tone of his voice, the Captain knew what Mhélir thought she should be her next move. He wanted her to launch a massive attack. But that would be suicidal.

"_ _A messenger._" she replied. "_They'll send one asking for something in exchan-_"

"_ _I have a message!_" intruded Nalfhen, looking as though the world was about to end. Sui could not blame him. The elfling was only half her size and less than half her age. She wondered why he was not helping the healers like the rest of the young children.

"_ _What does it say?_" she asked, dumbfounded by how fast the hwenti had made it come all the way to her.

"__I was told to hand it only to the prince._" shyly mumbled the elfling. All the elves in the room laughed kindly at his reaction. The innocence of a child could bring a smile to most, even during a war it seemed.

"__There might be a complication to that._" replied an elleth as she kept on laughing.

"__Captain!_" urged a soldier as he came in. "_The hwenti, captain, they have captured-_"

"_ _Prince Legolas._" Sui completed. " _I am aware of that._"

"_ _Their captain ordered to all of his elves to retreat. Even his scouts and spies_." The ellon took a pause to breathe. "_ He says he wants to negotiate... with you...in person..._"

"_ _You can't g-_"

"_ _Thanks to the generous prince of Mirkwood, I do not a say in the matter, now._" she cut, angrily. "_Do I_?"

* * *

**A/N**

I am finally updating! SOrry for it has taken me so long x) My computer died and I had to get a new one and rewrite eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeverything. FML. But everything is fine now. I think I'll update this sunday...the next chapter **_might_** be the last one before flluffy/funny bonuses!


	40. Chapter 37: Silver Strand

**Chapter 37: Silver strand **

Sui waddled nervously back and forth in her tent. The day was going to be a rough one...who would be alive at the end of the day, would have won the war.

She bit her lips as she wondered if Legolas was still alive. It was to the hwenti's advantage to keep him alive and well, but having had no news from how he fared since she had been told that the Hwenti's captain wished to speak to her, she could not help but think something was amiss. After all, three days had already gone by. Three days without any fighting, but three torturous days nonetheless, during which, she could not help but think that if she had told him that she did not wish for him to leave the tent, that she wanted him to stay with her, he would have never been made a prisoner.

She stopped abruptly when an angry blond elf entered her tent. She wondered if that was a silvan trait: appearing angry and unannounced out of nowhere.

"_ King Thr-"

"_ No need for the convention child, we are far past them." he spat, looking down on her from his high height. The sight of the elleth was insufferable to him, both because he blamed her for every thing his son had endured and because of the unnatural way she moved. She had obviously been wounded. And that wound must have been bad for she was almost crippled at the moment. Yet, he did not pity her.

All in all, the king was not detestable, Sui tried to convince herself. The both of them were simply too alike to appreciate one another, just like Legolas had told her once.

"_I-"

"_ I should take both you and them down." he cut her. Sui growled and prevented herself from throwing threats back at him. That would not be wise at the moment. "I should have taken you down before you could start this war." he added, trying to finish her with his eyes. If this trick of his made most people tremble, it did not work on Sui. To the king's surprise, all it did to the elfling was anger her.

"_ Maybe you should have taken me down." she spat right back at him, looking daring. " But you missed your chance, it's too late. And we are both involved in this war, now." she told him, with and angry and defiant smile. It was apparent that under more favorable circumstances, the king would have given her a good slap for her sharp tongue. He was obviously unused to having people answer back to him.

"_ Because you handed them my son." he accused as he looked at her with disgust in his eyes.

"_ He handed himself." she threw back. When she would be able to put her hands on the prince she would kill him for his stupidity. She would kill him, then bring him back to life, just to kill him again. "I do not like him there any bit more than you do." she admitted. And she must have sounded honest and worried for the sovereign seemed touched for a second. "I wish to have him retrieved from there as soon as possible. Alive."

"_ And how do I know my son isn't already dead and this isn't just you using me to win your petty war?" he questioned, scrutinizing her face for the truth.

"_ I wouldn't hurt-"

"_ You've already done so. You've broken him. How am I supposed to trust-

"_ I WANT HIM BACK!" she yelled. If the king did not trust her, fair enough, but she would not tolerate him thinking that she would go as far as to play with Legolas's life when he had come to her help. The king was startled by how the elleth had lost her temper, and found he did not know what to retort, so he cleared his throat as if to regain some authority, and kept silent. "If the hwenti had killed him, their captain would not have asked to negotiate for peace."

The king snorted.

"_ _Oh_, please enlighten me, how do Avari negotiate?" he said sarcastically. To him, hwenti like kinn-lai were brainless brutes. Most of their traditions were bloody so he wouldn't be surprised if what they called 'negotiations' truly was just another word for butchery.

"_ Every person who can fight is required to attend so that no one may try a surprise attack. The soldiers gather in lines, and the captains sit face to face to discuss the conditions-"

"-This will not do." he cut her. "If all of your soldier gather in front of all them, they will know by how many they outnumber you, and they will use it to their advantage. They might even simply launch themselves at you, and kill you all." He couldn't have sounded less unconcerned.

"_ They already know that." she told him, on a not so pleasant tone. She sighed, now understand why Legolas could never have a talk with his father without getting mad: the king didn't listen. "In an avari war, you need only kill the captain to win. Then, those who remain either join the enemy knowing they will treated like scum, or fight for their lives right there and then until they die."

"_ Then why do captain even show on the front if their death is all it takes to condemn the rest?" he asked.

Sui shrugged.

"_ For the same reason you fight during a war, to motivate your soldiers, to give them strength and faith in victory." she answered. The king said nothing, so she started again, " When we choose negotiations, the rules change a little bit. If a captain calls for negotiation, it is because he knows he has the advantage. If the other captain agrees to proceed with the negotiations, it is because he knows all is lost, but he can still save some of his warriors by buying their freedom one way or another, or asking to be the one to finish his men so that they may die without shame."

The king rolled his eyes at her last sentence.

"_ What will they ask of you?" he asked, loosing his patience.

"_ My head for your son's, is my guess."

"_ How much time will the negotiations take?"

"_ Hardly more than an hour." she told him, wondering why that mattered. "Conventions will have to be respected, but they will ask for what they want directly after that, and won't flinch under my demands for they know they have a knife to my throats now that they have your son."

The king stared at her for a minute, then looked away, lost in his thoughts. He licked his lips and finally spoke.

"_ I will need more time to move my army there."

_His army?! _She thought, _He wants to bring it here while all the others have gathered for the negotiations and no spy will see them coming...it won't even be bending the rules of war for he is not joining the war as an ally of mine, but only to have his son back...clever!_

"_ How much time will you need?" she asked, feeling there was still hope for her people to live another day.

"_ We know the Forrest and won't be traveling with children...if I order for them to leave now, my soldiers will be here by tomorrow in the afternoon" he paused to think. "I will need your negotiations to last for at least three hours to ensure that all goes well." He looked at her. She was sitting, seemingly unable to stand on her feet. " Can you manage that?" he asked looking at where her hand rested on her belly.

She scowled.

"_ I will find a way." she assured him. He wondered how she planned on 'finding a way' since it seemed that she might not even be able to walk all the way to where the gathering would happen on the morrow.

Once Thranduil had left her tent, Sui allowed herself to take a deep breath. Her body shook uncontrollably although she felt calm. She guessed the wound was not closing as fast as the twins had told her it would. They had used elven magic for the healing so the wound was large. And though they had managed to close more than half of it, all the muscles, nerves and ligaments that had been cut had not fully reattached yet, making it hard to keep control over her lower limbs.

She closed her eyes as she laid back on her chair, remembering the moment the sword had cut through her. She had felt something cold and then her legs would not respond to her brain. Only looking at the blade then, had almost made her feel pain. An imaginary sort of pain. And when she remembered that she could not actually feel pain, she felt glad for the incident that had numbed the ending of her nerves when she was a young child.

"_ What am I going to do with myself..." she whispered to herself, laughing lightly at her current infirmity.

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Although she sat comfortably on the chair the hwenti had brought for her despite the all tension in the air, the ellon sitting in front of her was not impressed with her cool. He was sitting just as nonchalantly as she was, with neither joy nor anger showing on his face. He was so... neutral, no wonder why the kinn-lai had not been able to identify him on the front; one could have never guessed that he was the captain. He was slightly shorter than Albien and as slim as Legolas, what was unusual for an avari. But then she was not one to judge the choice of captain the hwenti had made..her people had chosen her, a barely grown elleth to lead a war, what was a dangerous bet, and yet a smart move for none of the hwenti had expected her to be the captain and therefore had paid her no mind during the time she had spent fighting on the front.

_If I do not answer carefully, these negotiations will come to an end, _she thought when the silence had begun to last for too long. She had made sure to do everything as slowly as possible, insisting on that even the old tradition of sharing a tea made by the other captain be done. Not wanting to be rude nor disrespectful, the other captain had complied unhappily. As soon as he had been done with his tea, he had made his demands, and she had asked him to repeat them, detail them, clarify them until she could no longer find any question to ask the elf. Now he was awaiting for her to speak. Well, it was time for her to either say a simple yes, and agree to his miserable terms, or a simple no, and risk him killing her in a split second, thus ending the war and have him impose his terms to her people. So not really caring if she was in a position to make any demand or not, Sui chose to take the slippery road thinking that she had nothing to loose since either way, her life was equally endangered.

"_ First, I want the silvan back." she said, making her request sound like an order. The hwenti's captain had not spoken of the prince, once. A tactic to destabilize her, she had guessed. He was keeping Legolas as a way of pressure should she prove to be difficult. "_Alive, and he better be in one whole piece_." she warned them.

The ellon in front of her threw his head back as he roared in laughters.

"_ _What is he? Your lover?_" he mocked, "_What a sweet elfling couple you make_!" he added still laughing.

Trying not to let her anger show too much, Sui lightly furrowed a brow. She wanted nothing else than to smack the asshole right in the face, hard enough to make his teeth pop out.

"_ He is my ally." she answered dryly.

The elf's laughters quietened when he heard the serious with which Sui had spoken. He seemed greatly disappointed by her reaction, but did not comment on it. He turned and yelled something in a tongue Sui did not understand.

Guards emerged out the see of hwenti warriors, dragging Legolas along with them. The blond elf did not look so good. His hands were tied behind his back, the skin that was showing was covered in bruises, his lips were bleeding, and he was so exhausted that when the guards let go of his arms, he fell on the floor, unable to stand by himself. Sui held a frown at that. The hwenti had obviously tortured him for information. Hopefully, the prince hadn't said a word to betray the kinn-lai. And even if he had betrayed her again, nothing gave the right to the hwenti to treat him like that.

"_ _You have damaged him._" she stated, still examining Legolas who was in pain. "_ Your action will not stay unpunished._" she warned as her eyes set on the hwenti captain's face.

The ellon chuckled.

"_ _You humor me child._" he began as he shifted position to rest his elbows on his knees. "_I might just keep you alive so you can keep on entertaining me._" He paused and scowled like a spoiled brat. "No wait, you are their captain, I can't do that: keep you alive." he said sounding almost disappointed. "_In case you have not understood it yet, we have the advantage. I have called for negotiations, only to fasten the inevitable outcome of this war: your defeat._"

More annoyed than angry, and determined to buy as much time as she could, Sui snorted, what earned her the curiosity and full attention of the other captain.

"__ I don't care that you have the advantage._" she admitted, as she copied his position. "_If my terms aren't accepted, then we will die fighting, and bring half of your man with us, along with you know that we know your face._" The hwenti's captain moved to lay back on his chair, an ugly frown showing on his face. "_And we both know that the damages my warriors will cause yours will handicap you so, that you won't be able to take the wood elves' castle, because that is what you plan on doing, isn't?_" Sui grinned at him, like he had grinned at her a few seconds ago. "_And your time is running out too. The falling rocks of FellSvogee are also killing your people._" she added.

The ellon stared at her in silence for a long, long time, considering all she had said.

"_ _What are your terms?_" he finally asked, reluctantly.

"__ Freedom for all of my people, here._" she replied.

The ellon burst out in laughters again.

"_ _Aren't you a naive and demanding one._" he laughed.

"_ _I was not done talking._" she said sharply enough to silence him. "_I want freedom for all my of people,_" she started again, "_I want him, alive_," she said pointing at Legolas, "_I want myself alive, I want you to renounce to invading Eryn Lasgalen, and, I want you to pay half of what the wood elves are making my people pay for the damages caused by this war._"

"_ _It is truly a talent you have there, saying silly things while looking so serious_."

"_ _I am serious. Those were my terms, not a joke._" She paused, as the ellon's eyes sharpened.

"_ _Tell me; why would I agree to those terms when I have the king's son, and three times your number? Time might be running out, but there is enough left for me to call for more soldiers and take the castle. What do you have to even tempt me to accept your terms?_"

"_ _Free duel._" she answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. " _A single fight on which we both bet everything.."_

All the hwenti soldiers began to sneer loudly upon hearing the proposal. The kinn-lai, on the other hand, remained impassive though the duel was lost before it had even started. Sui wondered if they kept silent because they trusted she knew what she was doing, in which case they were wrong for she had no idea of what she was doing, or because they respected her right to decide of her death.

"__SILENCE!_" yelled the hwenti captain to his people. They immediately quietened. Sui could not reproach them their attitude, after all, she was being ridiculous requesting so much when she did not the have half the strength needed to back her up. "_You have won my interest, child. I like you._" he told her. "_Let us make another deal: if I agree to duel and win, your soldiers will not be given the right to die, they will all join me, and swear their obedience to me_."

"_ _Done_." she answered. To that the kinn-lai began to whisper things to one another. And by the noise they were making, they were not too happy about that new deal.

"_ _And instead of having your head cut off, you will loose your hand as well as that clicking tongue of yours._" he added, annoyed.

Before she could answer, Mhélir had covered her mouth with his hand. "_Have you gone mad?_" he murmured in her ear. "_This is worst than death, and it is humiliating. You will not win, and we will all pay the price of your stubbornness if you loose. Give us a chance to fight for our lives, or at earn a death that will be sung about."_

Sui pushed Mhélir away, and chose to ignore his request for if they engaged in a direct fight, by the time Thranduil would arrive with his army, most of her people would already be dead, while if she fought the hwenti's captain first, she was confident she could avoid his blows, or at least handle them for at least thirty minutes if she was careful enough. After those thirty minutes, she might die and the others might begin to fight, but at least they would be close enough to Thranduil's arrival to take the risk of a final attack.

"_ _Let us duel_." she told the hwenti's captain. The smirk he showed her could have out shined the sun.

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When Sui collapsed under a mean blow, Legolas attempted to stand. But his legs were too weak and hadn't him been caught by someone, he would fallen right back on his knees.

'This is a sad day.' the hwenti captain had told him after he had broken the fingers of his left hand the day before. 'A sad, sad day for a war that has been lasting for centuries will be won so easily tomorrow.' The ellon could not have been more right. All was coming to an ugly end, too easily, thought the prince hating his powerlessness of the moment.

All the prince had the time to see before his consciousness faded, was a strand of silver hair paler than his.

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**A/N**

So in the end there will another chapter after this one! I can't just end things like this can I? :P


	41. Chapter 38: Back to normal Or almost

**Chapter: Back to normal. Or Almost.  
**

"_I take it I didn't die." groaned the elleth. Thranduil frowned at the hoarseness of her voice, for it reminded him of the way Legolas had woken up after his days of deep sleep.

Sui felt heavier than ever, so she did not try to move her body, excepted for her left hand, that she used to rub her eyes.

"_ No you didn't." answered the elven king of Mirkwood. He was sitting on a chair near her bed, what she found quite strange. For all she knew, he liked her as much as she liked him, and therefore, not at all. Maybe something had happened to...

"_ Did he die ?" she whispered. She had no memory from what had happened after she had been hit at the head. She remembered the long talk she had had with the hwenti's captain, the wounds on Legolas' body, the way he had collapsed on the ground, and then..then she had fought against the hwenti's captain and...he had hit her leg? Arm? Belly?The head as well. She didn't know, her memory was a blurry mess and her thoughts were covered by a thick fog. "Did he die?" she insisted, her hand fisting around the sheets, when the king did not answer.

The Sinda growled a little for some reason, then his face softened and he pointed at her.

"_ What do you is so heavy, if not him ?" he asked. That explained the King's presence here...

Sui frowned at that. No wonder why she couldn't move a muscle; it wasn't her body that felt heavy, it was the prince's that was crushing hers. He was covered in scratches, and bruises and some more worrying wounds, but they would heal soon enough. Wood elves healed so much faster. It was annoying.

"_ He is so heavy." she complained, lifting the cover up a little more to have a clearer view of Legolas. Half of him was laying on top of her, and both of their limbs tangled together like the curls of her hair.

"_ I know. I carried him here myself." complained the sovereign after having snorted. "I am putting him on a strict diet as soon as he wakes up. I will not allow him to come any closer than a thousands leagues from those sweet honey cakes your people make."

"_ I thought wood elves didn't sleep?" she replied, having ignored most of what the king had just said. According to Legolas, three quarters of what came out of his father's mouth, was of little importance and the last quarter was of absolutely no importance. That was why the prince never listened to his father.

"_Oh, he isn't sleeping." he told her shaking his head almost frantically. It seemed that the king had not completely recovered from the emotional distress caused by his son's deep sleep. " He fainted, and when he woke up, I had to knocked him out so we could sedated him because he wouldn't stop bothering the healers who were tending you."

"_ May I?" intruded a healer. Sui suddenly became aware of her surroundings. They were no longer in the woods, but in a healers' tent where the avari camp had been behind the walls of the castle. Everything was different from what it had been the last time she had been in a tent; the smell of death was gone and replaced by the one of the salve wood elves used to help the scarring of injuries. It smelled of old wood and fresh roots, like the forest after it had rained. It was comforting. "We need you to release the prince's hand so we may move him to another bed, and have a look at how your wounds are healing." explained the wood elf.

Sui tried to pull her right hand off Legolas' grip. She was unsure if she had become weaker because of whatever the wood elves had drugged her with, or if the blond elf truly had an iron grip despite the fact that he was sleeping.

"_ He wont let go." she grumbled, unsatisfied with her incapacity to free herself. "What a parasite."

Thranduil could not help but chuckle sophisticatedly at the elleth's comment. It was what his wife used to call him, and what he often called Legolas. Maybe him and the avari had more in common that he had thought.

"_ Should I wake him ?" Sui asked the healer.

"_ _No need._" said a thundering voice. It was familiar, and had been dearly missed. It made Sui's whole body shake. "She has survived the worst, the rest can wait." Alkien told the healer. Though it was obvious the healer disapproved with The Giant, he gave a courteous nod, then left without a word.

The chill Sui had felt go down her spine turned out to be anger instead of relief.

"_ _You sure took your sweet time to come back!_" she shouted at him. If she could have stood up, she would have given him a good kick. And then she would have hugged him so tightly his head would have rolled off his shoulders. The bastard. Where had he been? She had almost come to terms with the fact that he had died when she had been right all along: he was alive. But from the way he held himself, ever so slightly slouching, Sui could tell he was suffering from some injury.

"_ _I had thought you would have been happy to find out I wasn't a corpse yet_." he teased. Alkien ran his fingers through her thick black curly hair. The sadness he had felt from not being able to tell his son he was not gone, yet, was lifted by Sui's scowl. It felt good to be reunited with, at least, one of his children; Albien had not returned from the human realm, yet, he was told.

"__ I never thought you had died,_" she half lied. She had been convinced he was still alive most of the time, but she had begun to have doubts after the war had started. " S_o there is nothing to be happy about."_ she threw at him. "_Plus look at what happened by your fault?_" She frowned. "_I started a war because you weren't there to stop me!_" Her frowned deepened, what caused Alkien to laugh out loud. Thranduil on the other hand did not find it amusing for the least. He did not interrupt their conversation though. "_Where have you been?_"

Alkien's face darkened slightly.

"_ _The Hwenti followed us here to take Greenwood. Or so they had wanted us to believe." _His brows furrowed_. "In truth, they wanted our people in FellSvogee to lower their guard. As long as they believed the hwenti wanted to take the forest here, they would be easy targets for they would lower their guard. The hwenti wanted to take them by the rear, while they were unprepared. Geldrik and I left to warn them, but the orcs slowed us down considerably._"

"_ _But then...the war-_"

"_ _They were prepared for a war, just not the one you brought to them._" The tall avari smiled a little. "_You gave us the time Geldrik and I needed to reach FellSvogee; you have saved everyone by being reckless_." He messed her hair up again, she tried to bite his hand but failed. "I see some things have not changed." said the giant. He then gave a haughty look at the 'thing' that covered part of her body: Legolas. "Although, this, will have to stop." he warned, serious,pointing at the prince. Sui's left hand instinctively went around the sinda's body, as if to protect him. She had been ready to retort, but the king of Mirkwood was faster.

"_ Do not bother forbidding it." he spat. "I tried." He squinted his eyes as he looked at the two elflings intertwined in the bed. "And now their bodies have almost melted in one. Look," he insisted as he pulled the covers down. "There is no telling to which one of them these limbs belong. " His voice was full of sarcasm and dissatisfaction. But it didn't matter to Sui. After all that had happened, when she looked at Legolas now, she knew. She knew she cared for him more than she had ever intended to, and accepted it. She knew she did not want to part from him. Not ever again. He was hers to keep, and hers alone.

"_ We'll speak of this matter later, _you should rest for now._" Alkien said, deciding now was not the time to upset his daughter. He turned to leave, though he wished he could stay longer. However, now that he was back, there were plenty of things to be taken care about: counting the dead, arranging for the wood elves payments, restoring the forest, figuring out what was Sui's position among the Avari now that he was back.

"_ _Wait, Geldrik_?" she asked, sounding worried.

"_ _Eating some hwenti."_ he told her, smirking._ "I heard it was their captain, but no one could identify him; his head was smashed like a and reduced to elven mud_."

* * *

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* * *

Legolas woke up to find out he had moved and was not where he wanted to be. He was in the same room he had been moved to when he had suffered from the Sleep. He removed his cover and tried to stand, only to be pushed back on the bed.

"_She was put into an artificial sleep and is still asleep, and so should you be." Thranduil grumble, as he maintained his son down on the bed. Moving slowed the healing process of the body, and the king was an easily worried father.

"_Can I have her awakened?"

"_ Do not be selfish," scolded the sovereign. Legolas put on a pout. He was selfish, but didn't he have the right to be? The last time he had seen Sui she was unconscious and covered in blood. "She is still very young, she needs her rest a lot more than you do to recover." he told his son. The king sighed."She took vicious hits." That did not reassure the prince the least, and caused him to attempt one more time to leave his bed, to no avail. "She is fine now. I simply wanted to inform you that if she had been able to feel pain, she would have never been able to stand for so long in front the hwenti's captain." The younger ellon finally ceased to fight his elder, and resolved himself to sit in the bed, and stay there. "If she has one quality, it is bravery." admitted the king.

"_What she did was suicidal." argued the prince.

"_ What she did, she did to for her people, and for you."

Legolas had never thought he would day find himself in a position in which his father would be defending Sui's actions, and so he found nothing to answer back at his father.

After a rather long silence, Thranduil spoke again. "She may yet make a fine queen one day." he mumbled, beaten, and rather unhappily.

"Oh, I don't plan on being a queen." threw Sui as she came in, followed closely by Alkien. The elleth walked with a cane on which she seemed to put all of her weight. But what took the prince aback was the Giant. He had not known he was back. He had thought him dead. Maybe he was hallucinating. Maybe _he _needed to be put into an artificial sleep.

"My source told me you were asleep." said the prince. Sui glanced at Thranduil with a small smile on the corner of her lips.

"My source told me the same about you." she replied now glancing at Alkien. "I believe they are not all that trustworthy, wouldn't you agree?" She would have walked closer if the Giant hadn't prevented her from doing so.

"_ After everything you have both put us all through, you would not marry?" asked Thranduil sounding slightly irritated. His thick brows were furrowed with serious annoyance. Legolas looked at Sui awaiting for answer to the question _he_ should have been asking.

"_ No." both Alkien and Sui instinctively answered. Legolas felt himself grow angry and his gaze sharpen as he looked at the two dark elves.

"_ No elf under 300 years old is allowed to marry." explained the Giant. " And to obtain grant of her hand, your must first beat me and the members of her family in an unfair duel."

The prince remembered Mhélir saying that Sui would probably never marry for the members of her family were part of the greatest warriors. An unfair duel against them would never end by them being defeated. After all, the elleth had four older blood brothers, plus Albien, both her parents were known for being made of steel, and as Alkien had almost raised her, he would also fight against her suitors.

"_ I may never be able to beat you in a fair duel, how am I to win in an unfair duel against so many elves?" asked Legolas.

"_ I do not count on you ever winning against us under any kind of circumstances." the giant replied.

The king shifted in his seat, then sat up abruptly. Glaring at the dark elves, he spoke " So much for my hope of having grand children soon." Then bitter, he left the room, bitterly walking past Sui and Alkien, without excusing himself.

"You should leave us as well." Sui told Alkien sounding almost innocent. The elf raised a brow at the elfling and furrowed the other deeply, showing his discontentment.

"_Watch your tongue, child." the captain said with his grave voice. "You may be a captain, but as I am still alive you are not released from your vows to me and still owe me respect." he warned. "I give you orders, not the other way around." he told her. Sui's sole reaction was to smirk like a proud child would do. It seemed to the captain that no one had taught her manners while he had been away. He wondered if the elfling would ever become less intense of a person.

The captain sighed.

"_You have 10 minutes, no more." he told the two younger elves. "I'll be right out the door." he warned. "Listening." he added.

Sui rolled her eyes at him, what earned her a tap at the back of the head before the Alkien exited the room.

The prince stared at the elleth for a long time. Her hair now reached her hips. She was probably the only avari with a braid this long. The features of her face had changed compared to when they had first met; Sui was beginning to loose the childish round of her face. She looked much older already. "_ I know let you walk out of the tent,"started the elleth, breaking the silence, "But I shouldn't have." she told him as she walked closer to the bed, to sit on the chair where Thranduil had been. She looked at Legolas straight in the eyes. She thought him paler than usual. But maybe it was simply that she had not seen him for a while.

"_ I don't understand what you want form me." replied Legolas. Hadn't she just said that she would not marry him a minute ago? So why keep on playing cat an mouse when they would be no winner at the end? " You won't promise me your love, and yet you expect me to promise you mine."

The elleth scowled then sighed. "'You do not have to say it as long as you show it', your words." she reminded him, slightly annoyed.

"_You just said you wouldn't give me your hand."

"_ Because I want to keep it to myself." she blurted out angrily. "Besides, I said that I wouldn't marry you, not that I wouldn't bond with you."

"_ I'll have you know that bonding and marrying are one and the same." he told her furrowing his brow with incomprehension as to what was happening.

"_Yeah, well, excuse me if I do not know wood elves ways by heart." he threw at him half screaming. She laid back in her chair and sighed, calming down. "We'll bond." she told him frowning deeply. It almost sounded like an order. "Then you'll be mine." she added. "But there will be no ceremony, and you will never ever address me as your wife, nor introduce me as such." she told him.

Legolas wasn't sure if it was anger or embarrassment he was hearing. Whichever it was, he decided didn't matter.

As the silence prolonged itself, Sui's frowned deepened. She had never enjoyed waiting. She was never patient and the time the prince was taking to think was getting on her nerve. She had to fight the urge to take back her offer and walk out of the room.

"_ I think I will be calling you 'sweet thing' instead of 'wife'." he smirked. Sui pulled the pillow from behind his back to throw it at his face as violently as she could. However it did not prevent the prince from laughing full heartedly at her.

"_ You just gave me cause to not bond with you ever" she told him angrily. But Legolas knew she was not truly mad at him. He grabbed her hand to pull her to him, and surprisingly enough, she did not fight him back. First he kissed her forehead, then her – the door opened.

"_ Hands off her. " Alkien's ordered. "Your time is up."

Instead of obeying, the prince wrapped his arms tighter around his lover.

"No."he replied sounding happy like a misbehaving child. "I will not do anything you could deem inappropriate to her, but I refuse to let her go."he told the Avari.

"She needs to rest." the giant told him, not letting himself be bothered with the blond elf's behaviour.

"She can share my bed." Legolas insisted.

"You take too much room in the bad," Sui cut in. " You're also heavy and this bed is tiny." she complained, setting herself free from the blond elf who's facial expression betrayed his disappointment.

"You're not helping." retorted the prince.

"I'm helping myself." the elleth threw back as she left his side to join Alkien's. Both Avari gave a courteous nod before exiting the room.

Alone, the prince shifted position to lay so that the healing of his body would be faster. The only thing he could think about, was a way to explain to his father that there would be no wedding ceremony.


End file.
